My Universe

[JCWeb]

This report covers fistic action from the second half of July 1940, encompassing a total of 66 bouts. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

July 19, 1940: Once again, it is time for the “Friday Night fights Down Under,” this time at Sydney, Australia. Two non-title bouts top the card. In the first co-feature, OPBF BW Champ Little Pancho, winner of his last six, faces Sixto Escobar, the current LABF BW Champ. First meeting of the two, but Escobar has hit Post-Prime and is in decline, having lost his last three outings. Little Pancho is on target early, and, less than a minute into the bout, he drops Escobar briefly with a big hook. Escobar recovers quickly, scrambling to his feet at the count of two, but Pancho continues to dish out more punishment such that, by the end of the opening round, Escobar’s left eye is beginning to puff up. Pancho goes on from there to forge a solid points lead at the halfway point (50-46, according to the unofficial card) and goes on to a UD 10 win (98-92, 98-93, 98-91), his seventh in a row, to push his career record to 40-9-5 (9); his connections are now angling for a WBA title shot. The loss leaves Escobar at 31-10-3 (10). In the second co-feature, “Bat” Battalino faces OPBF FW Champ Tsuneo Horiguchi in another East vs West encounter. First meeting of the two, and Battalino – although higher ranked – is, like Escobar, at Post-Prime. In round two, Horiguchi suffers a split lip. In the third round, the Japanese fighter uncorks an overhand right that puts “Bat” on the deck. Battalino regains his footing, but his right eye shows signs of swelling as the round wears on. Unofficial scorer has Horiguchi up (48-46 at the midway point), mainly due to the KD. A short, clean hook sends Battalino to the canvas a second time in round six, and there is a third KD in round nine. The three KDs are enough to sew up a solid UD 10 win for Horiguchi (97-90, 96-90, 96-90). Post-bout career records: Horiguchi, 26-7 (15); Battalino, 42-14-2 (15). Looks like Battalino’s days as a top FW contender may be over, while there is a bright future for Horiguchi.

July 20, 1940: Next up is a packed card at Gothenburg, Sweden. Two EBU title bouts preceded by a supporting bout matching British Flyweight Peter Kane with Austrian veteran Ernst Weiss. Kane won their one prior encounter, a points win in 1939. This time Weiss gets off to a strong start but Kane battles back to take the points edge at the halfway point (by a count of 49-47, according to the unofficial card). The bout devolves into a boxer versus slugger confrontation, with Kane as the slugger. Late in round nine, Weiss tags Kane with a hard cross; Kane is shaken but does not go down. In the end, the UD 10 goes to Kane (98-92, 98-91, 98-91) although many observers thought the bout was a bit close. Post-bout career marks: 21-2-1 (10) for Kane; 23-8-1 (8) for Weiss. In the first co-feature, Gustav Eder faces Ernie Roderick for Eder’s EBU WW title. Roderick proves to be a tough opponent for the German veteran, and the unofficial card favors Roderick (58-56) at the midway point. In the second half of the bout, Eder becomes more aggressive and he presses the action, including a big round 10 that sees Roderick’s left eye begin to swell from the accumulated blows. Eder manages to regain the belt via a SD 12 (116-112, 113-116, 116-112) to push his career record to 35-9-9 (9), while the loss drops Roderick to 23-11-3 (6). In the nightcap, the EBU MW title is at stake as Marcel Cerdan, the “Casablanca Clouter,” defends that belt against Jupp Besselman. First meeting of these two. Early punches landed advantage for Cerdan, as Besselman appears to be laboring just to keep up with the Frenchman. Solid lead for Cerdan at the halfway point (59-56 on the unofficial card), and in round eight Cerdan finally breaks through with a powerful uppercut that stuns Besselman. The bout’s first KD follows a round later when Besselman goes down, arising at the count of eight. In the final round, Cerdan lands a short, clean uppercut for a second KD. While Besselman arises and is able to continue, the ref waves off the bout shortly thereafter to save Besselman from further punishment. TKO 12 for Cerdan, who improves to 26-2-2 (20) with the win. Besselman slips to 30-10-5 (24) after the loss.

July 20, 1940: Next fistic action is at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Two USBA title bouts top the agenda. In the first of these, unbeaten FW Harold Hoshino faces Jimmy Perrin in the first defense of Hoshino’s USBA FW title belt. Hoshino is the aggressor in the early rounds, and in round four Perrin goes down in what is ruled a slip and not a knockdown. Solid points advantage for Hoshino (59-55 on the unofficial card) at the midway point. In round nine, it is a legitimate KD for Hoshino as he puts Perrin down briefly with a nice combination. At the outset of round 11, Hoshino stuns Perrin with a big hook, and then, in the final round, Hoshino gets careless and walks into a Perrin combination. He recovers quickly, and goes on for his 25^th career win via a UD 12 (115-113, 116-111, 116-111) although the late KD for Perrin made it closer than otherwise. Post-bout marks: Hoshino, 25-0 (15); Perrin, 23-7-2 (9). In the second co-feature, Izzy Jannazzo is paired with Freddie Cochrane for Jannazzo’s USBA WW title. It is Cochrane’s first title bout of any kind, and it is the first meeting of these two, with Jannazo having gone unbeaten in his last six (five wins, one draw) while Cochrane has not lost in his last seven (five wins, two draws) to earn his first title shot. Cochrane gets off to a good start, and the bout remains close for the first half (the unofficial scorer at ringside has it even, 59-59, with many close rounds). The later rounds see Jannazzo’s stamina edge kick in, and the bout goes the distance, with the judges calling it a majority draw (117-113 Jannazzo, 115-115, 115-115), so Jannazzo keeps the belt. Post-bout marks: Jannazzo, 30-4-2 (13) compared to 24-5-4 (8) for Cochrane.

July 26, 1940: Next is a Friday night card at New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena. Twin bill of title bouts are the co-features, each of which has an undefeated fighter. In the first of these, unbeaten challenger Tommy Forte goes for the NABF BW title, currently held by Pete Sanstol. Forte is coming off a split decision win over Speedy Dado to set up this, his first title shot. Sanstol holds the early edge in terms of punches landed, and by the end of round four, there is a trace of swelling around the left eye of the challenger. Forte comes back with a solid sixth round, causing some swelling to appear under the left eye of Sanstol, who leads at the halfway point (by 58-56, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside). In the eighth round, Forte rips open a cut over the injured left eye of Sanstol. The cut, plus a late surge by Forte, are enough to enable him to lift the belt via a close but UD 12 (115-113, 116-113, 116-112). Forte remains unbeaten, improving to 23-0-1 (11); Sanstol dips to 39-14-5 (9) with the loss. In the second co-feature, the USBA LW title is up for grabs as Lou “Sweetwater Swatter” Jenkins puts his unbeaten record on the line as he faces challenger Davey Day, who has impressed with wins in his last five outings to set up this – his first -- title try. A big shot in the opening round puts Jenkins on the deck. Despite recovering, more trouble for the defending Champ in round two when Jenkins is cut over his right eye. Jenkins remains the aggressor but the cut proves to be problematic, re-opening a couple of times before leading to a stoppage two-third of the way through the scheduled 12-rounder. TKO 8 for Day on the cuts stoppage, ending Jenkins’ reign and also his unbeaten record Post-bout career marks: Day, 32-5-3 (13); Jenkins, 22-1-2 (12). Given Jenkins was leading on two of the three cards, his camp is clamoring for a rematch, but it remains to be seen if this will happen.

July 27, 1940: To London’s Harringay Arena for the next fistic action, with a pair of HW non-title bouts topping the card. In the first co-feature, British veteran Tommy Farr faces American Lee Ramage. The bout turns into a defensive struggle as the two boxers each deny the opponent many openings. Farr appears to have the early edge, and he holds a slight points lead on the unofficial card (49-47) at the midway point. But Ramage comes on in the second half, despite a stamina edge for Farr. By the end of the eighth round, there is some puffiness around the left eye of Farr but otherwise, no cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes the distance. End result is a surprise, a MD 10 win for Ramage (96-95, 95-95, 96-95) who was the more aggressive of the two in the later rounds. Post-bout career marks: Ramage, 35-11-1 (11); Farr, 46-15-3 (16). The finale proves to be a more entertaining bout featuring two top sluggers, Elmer Ray and Art Lasky, a duo that has produced a combined total of 55 knockouts in their careers. The two have met once before, back in 1937, which went to Ray via a TKO. In the opening stanza, Lasky connects with an uppercut that stuns Ray, who covers up and lasts the round. In round four, it is Ray who lands a big cross, stunning Lasky, who also covers up to survive the round. Big points scored in rounds four and five but Ray ahead, by only slightly (48-47, on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. By the end of round six, there is some swelling around the right eye of Lasky. Lasky, trailing, battles back and decks Ray with a barrage of blows in round eight. Ray bounces back after the count reaches two, but the damage has been done. Ray’s right eye begins to swell, and the momentum has swing in Lasky’s direction. Lasky goes on to take a MD 10 (96-95, 95-95, 96-94) to win the action-packed fight, only the second decision win of his career, as his record now stands at 28-9-2 (26). Ray drops to 43-12 (29) after the loss.

July 27, 1940: The month wraps with a big card at New York’s Madison Square Garden that features a pair of LH title bouts, including one for the WBA belt. As a main support, two LWs square off for the NABF LW title, with Lou Ambers making his first defense of that belt against Eddie Cool; it is the “Herkimer Hurricane” versus “the Pride of Taxony.” Ambers, coming off a WBA title loss to Tony Canzoneri, appears to have the upper hand in another tactical battle involving two skilled boxers. The unofficial card has Ambers well ahead on points (60-55, according to the unofficial card) at the halfway point. Ambers gradually pulls away in the later rounds, as Cool lacks the firepower to mount a rally. UD 12 for Ambers (119-109 on all three cards) to lift his career mark to 32-3-1 (18). Cool drops to 34-15-5 (12) with the loss. In the co-feature, the USBA LH title is on the line, as Al Gainer makes his second defense, facing Archie Moore, in Moore’s first title bout of any kind in his still young career. Both men have looked sharp in recent outings, with Gainer having won his last seven, while Moore has won his last five. Moore, the more aggressive of the two, gets off to a solid start, and by the end of the fourth round, there is noticeable swelling around the left eye of Gainer. In round six, Moore rips open a cut over the right eye of Gainer. Solid points lead for Moore (60-54, on the unofficial card) after six. Then, in round seven, Moore decks Gainer for an eight count and although Gainer regains his footing, he is on shaky legs such that the ref decides to call a halt. TKO 7 for Moore, who lifts his first title belt. Post-bout career marks: Moore, 19-1-2 (15); Gainer, 28-8-1 (18). From ringside, Moore announces his intent to challenge the winner of the upcoming WBA LH title bout, which sees an aging Champion, John Henry Lewis, face a much younger challenger, Eddie Booker. First meeting of the two, and Booker’s hopes are buoyed by the fact that Lewis is at Post-Prime career stage. Great start by Booker, who gains momentum with a strong second round. Lewis battles back and holds his own in an action-packed round four. In round five, Booker is back in charge when he stuns Lewis with a hard cross. A check at the unofficial scorecard has the challenger in front (49-47) after five. Booker continues with a strong round six, and Lewis tries to step up the pace but, by the end of round seven, he has to deal with a rapidly swelling left eye. Lewis is unable to make much impression on the younger, faster man, as Booker continues to pile up points (the lead is 99-92 after 10, according to the unofficial scorer). In the final few rounds, Lewis appears to be a beaten man, as his title slips away. Booker is content to retreat into a defensive shell, and he is rewarded with a lopsided UD 15 (147-138, 149-136, 149-136), running his career record to 23-2 (14) in the process. Lewis, who has clearly seen better days, drops to 26-8-3 (19) with the title loss.

[JCWeb]

Back at the Uni after a long vacay ...

This report covers a total of 51 bouts taking place during the first half of August 1940. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Aug. 2, 1940: The month commences with a Friday night card at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. No titles at stake, and the main event features former WBA WW Champion Eddie Dolan facing another top 10 WW, Fritzie Zivic, in a 10-round, non-title affair: “Irish Red” versus the “Croat Comet.” Both fighters are coming off recent losses in title bouts: Dolan, for the USBA LW title; Zivic, a KO victim to Henry Armstrong in a WBA WW title bout. It is the fifth meeting of these two, with prior results favoring Dolan (two wins and two draws). Punches landed stats in the early rounds favor Zivic, the more aggressive of the two; this translates to a solid points lead (50-45, on the unofficial card) for Zivic at the halfway point. Dolan, forced to battle from behind, takes charge in round nine, stunning Zivic with a big left that puts the Croat against the ropes. Zivic, who is bothered by a swollen left eye, tries to cover up, but Dolan lands several unanswered blows and manages to force a latter stoppage. TKO 9 for Dolan, who improves to 32-7-4 (14) overall. The loss drops Zivic to 26-9-4 (15).

Aug. 3, 1940: A couple of interesting non-title bouts headline the next card, at Edmonton Gardons in Canada. In the first co-feature, former WBA FW Champ Chalky Wright takes on Canadian Pete DeGrasse, the current Commonwealth FW Champion. Wright is seeking to avenge two prior losses (back in 1931 and 1933) as well as to re-establish his credentials as a serious title contender. Wright starts slowly, but gets going in round two, landing sufficient leather to cause some initial puffiness to appear around the right eye of DeGrasse. Wright tries to get more aggressive, struggling with his timing in round three, but then connecting with greater regularity in round four, then dominating the action in round five, causing DeGrasse’s other eye to swell, and leading to an early stoppage. TKO 5 for Wright, pushing his career totals to 35-11-4 (15) with the win; DeGrasse, who will hit Post-Prime after his next bout, dips to38-19-4 (10). In the second co-feature, another veteran Canadian Commonwealth titleholder, CBU LH Champ Charley Belanger, takes on a younger American fighter in fellow LH Jimmy Webb, again it’s a non-title affair, and the first meeting of these two. Starting in round three, Belanger tries to force the action on the inside, with little success. Solid boxing from Webb, who piles up a huge points lead (50-44, on the unofficial card) by the midway point, aided by a referee’s decision to deduct a point from Belanger’s account for hitting below the belt. More trouble for the Canadian when Webb rips open a gash over his left eye in the eighth round. Worried about the cut, Belanger is unable to break through Webb’s defense in the last two rounds, so the UD 10 goes to Webb (99-91, 97-92, 95-94), although one judge had a one-point margin. Post-bout records: Webb, 20-4-1 (9); Belanger, 43-23 (20). The win moves Webb into a top 20 spot in the LH ranks, and the Canadian fight fans go home disappointed as both the home crowd favorites lost.

Aug. 9, 1940: Next is a Friday night card at a little-used venue, Buenos Aires’ Luna Park. Only one bout of note, a non-title affair in the main event, pitting Chilean MW Antonio Fernandez with another fringe MW contender, American Solly Krieger. First meeting of the two, and the bout remains close until Fernandez, a former LABF MW Champ, unleashes some telling blows in round three, causing some initial swelling under both eyes of Krieger. Krieger tries to press the attack, but Fernandez proves to be a rough customer, with the Chilean holding a narrow points edge (48-47 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. Fernandez gradually wears down his opponent, and in round eight, he rips open a cut on Krieger’s lip. Fernandez goes to take a solid UD 10 win (96-93, 98-91, 96-93) and improves to 31-13-3 (12) with the win, while the loss drops Krieger to 32-17-1 (14).

Aug. 10, 1940: To the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, for a fight card headed by a WBA BW title clash, as newly crowned WBA Champ K. O. Morgan makes his first title defense against a familiar foe, fellow American Georgie Pace, who battled Morgan to a draw for Morgan’s NABF title belt back in January. It is the third meeting of the two, with Morgan having won a decision back in 1938. It’s a cautious start by both men, as each seems wary of the other’s power. Consequently, not much action until round four, when Morgan lands a few good shots and seems to be gaining the upper hand. However, the end comes early in round five, after Morgan lands a hard right but then draws back, wincing in pain. He is forced to abandon the bout due to the hand injury, and Pace is declared the victor via a TKO 5. Post-bout career marks: Pace, 25-8-2 (18); Morgan, 32-12-6 (17). There is talk of a possible rematch by the end of the year, but it is questionable whether Morgan’s hand will heal by that time.

Aug. 16, 1940: Another Friday night card is next, this time at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. No title bouts, and the main event showcases two “old-timers,” veteran HW contenders Tommy Loughran and Larry Gains. Loughran holds a prior UD win over Gains back in 1938. Gains is the aggressor in the early going, pressing the action on the inside while Loughran is content to stay on the outside. By the end of the third round, a mouse appears under the left eye of Gains. Slight points edge for Loughran (48-47, according to the unofficial card) at the midway point. Loughran gradually wears down Gains and goes on to take a UD 10 (97-93, 97-93, 98-92) to run his career totals to 64-15-5 (20) compared to 44-20 (25) post-bout for Gains. Loughran is already at End career stage, while Gains is close, nearing the end of the Post-Prime stage of his career, so not too many more bouts featuring either of these two veterans.

Aug. 17, 1940: Next fistic action takes place at Gothenburg, Sweden’s Ullevi Stadium. On the line in the featured bout is the EBU BW title, with Spanish veteran Baltazar Sangchili making his fifth title defense against former WBA BW Champ Johnny King; tough assignment for Sangchili, who has lost twice to King before and has recently hit Post-Prime career stage. King drops Sangchili briefly near the end of round one and wraps up the second round with a straight right that stuns the Spaniard. Sangchili steadies himself with a better performance in round three, but 30 seconds into round four a sharp combination from King forces him to cover up. By the end of round five, there is a welt formed under Sangchili’s right eye. Huge lead for King (60-53) according to the unofficial scorer at the midway point. A tired and battered Sangchili offers little resistance the rest of the way, particularly after King rips open a cut over his left eye in round seven. A King combination in round eight sends Sangchili to the deck for a second time. A third KD follows from a King hook a round later, and then a cross finishes the job later in the same round. KO 9 for King, who lifts the EBU BW belt but with an eye on regaining the WBA title. Post-bout career marks: 50-6-1 (20) for King; 34-14 (19) for Sangchili.

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 57 bouts taking place during the second half of August 1940. Two WBA title bouts are encompassed in this report.

Aug. 17, 1940: Action is on at the Boston Garden. HWs are on display in the main event, a 10-round, non-title affair matching Buddy Baer, Max’s younger brother, with “the Alpine Alp,” Primo Carnera, in what should prove to be an entertaining bout. Baer, who is coming off a KO loss to ex-WBA Champ Max Schmeling, finds the range with a cross to the head that puts Carnera on the canvas in round one. Carnera struggles with his timing, but manages to land some good shots to take round four. Slight edge for Baer at the midway point (48-47, according to the unofficial card). After both men take a breather in round six, the action heats up in round seven, with Carnera breaking through with a big hook that puts Baer down and out. KO 7 for Carnera, running his career totals to 33-12-3 (23) for Carnera’s third win in succession. The loss leaves Baer at 20-6-1 (15).

Aug. 23, 1940: Next up is a card at Johannesburg’s Rand Stadium in South Africa – another seldom used venue. Topping a relatively thin card (not many South African fighters in the Uni to date) is a non-title bout involving a pair of ranked WWs, with Dutchman Bep Van Klaveren facing American Johnny Wilson. First meeting of the two, with Van Klaveren on the comeback trail after losing his EBU WW title earlier in the year, while Wilson – who has wrapped up his Pre-Prime career with an undefeated record -- is looking to build his credentials for a first-time title challenge. Solid start from Van Klaveren, who somehow manages to pick up a mouse under his left eye despite the lack of solid blows landed by his opponent in the opening round. Wilson then steps up the pace, taking round two and then moving inside in round three, where he lands a crunching left hook that forces Van Klaveren to cover up. Solid lead for Wilson (49-46 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. Wilson remains the aggressor as the bout heads into its later stages, However, in round seven, he runs into a vicious counterattack by the Dutchman, who takes the round and causes some swelling to appear under the left eye of Wilson. The end result – a draw (95-95 from two judges while a third had it 97-93 for Van Klaveren) – leaves both camps disappointed. Post-bout records: Van Klaveren, 30-12-8 (11); Wilson, 19-0-2 (14).

Aug. 24, 1940: Next action is at the Olympia in London, for a huge card headlined by a WBA title clash. Two supporting bouts have GBU title belts on the line. In the first of these, veteran GBU LW Champion Harry Mizler faces a first-time challenger, Young Brit Eric Boon, the “Fen Tiger,” who is making his first ever title challenge. First meeting of the two, and Mizler’s third defense of the title he won back in 1937. Boon is on target early, landing some good shots in the opening round, enough to cause some initial swelling under the right eye of Mizler. Mizler recovers and has the edge in rounds two, three and four; both men move inside and land some good shots in round five. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has Mizler well ahead (59-55), but Boon continues to push the pace headed into the later rounds. Good defense from Mizler, who manages to stifle Boon’s attack and, in the end, escapes with a SD 12 win (116-112, 113-115, 115-113), as one judge decided to reward Boon for his aggressiveness. Post-bout, Mizler improves to 23-11-4 (6) with the win, while the loss drops Boon to 17-6-1 (15). In the second co-feature, GBU FW Champ Frank Parkes puts that belt at stake, defending against challenger Ginger Foran, who briefly held the EBU FW title but is making his first attempt to take the GBU FW title. Through the early rounds, Parkes proves to be the more accurate puncher, while Foran is more aggressive. In a bit of a surprise, the unofficial card has Foran in front (58-57) at the halfway point. Parkes continues with a solid performance, not pushing forward and allowing Foran to overextend himself and become tired. The result – another split decision, once again favoring the titleholder, as the SD 12 goes to Parkes (117-111, 114-115, 117-112), with the dissenting judge favoring the aggressive posture of the challenger. Post-fight career totals: Parkes, 24-5-1 (14); Foran, 26-12-3 (11). Finally, the WBA Flyweight title is up for grabs as Fortunato Ortega, the man who ended Midget Wolgast’s long reign as Champion, makes his first defense, taking on USBA Fly Champ Jackie Jurich. First meeting of the two, and not much to choose in the early rounds, but in round four, Jurich manages to rip open a cut over the right eye of Ortega. The cut is patched up between rounds but, when it is re-opened in round five, it leads to an immediate stoppage. TKO 5 for Jurich, who becomes the new WBA Flyweight Champ, despite howls of protest from Ortega’s corner. For what it’s worth, two of the three cards had Jurich ahead at the time of the stoppage. Post-bout records: 19-3-1 (15) for Jurich; 26-10-4 (13) for Ortega.

Aug. 24, 1940: To New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the next fistic action. Fans are up for one of the preliminary bouts, with up-and-coming WW prospect “Sugar” Ray Robinson, in only his third pro start, making his first appearance in the “Big Apple.” Robinson does not disappoint, flattening his TC opponent with a big uppercut less than a minute into the opening round for his third stoppage win in just three starts. A pair of LH bouts top the card. In the first of these, former WBA LH Champ Billy Conn, the “Pittsburgh Kid,” is back on the comeback trail, taking on Bob Olin in a 10-round, non-title affair. Conn holds a UD win in one prior encounter, back in 1938. Conn is on target early, and he builds a solid lead against the aggressive but awkward Olin. By the end of the fourth round, Olin is suffering from a cut over his left eye and a rapidly swelling right eye. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has a runaway lead for Conn (50-45). Not much changes in the latter stages, as Olin’s cut continues to ooze blood and his aggressive tactics are ineffective against some solid defense from Conn. End result is a lopsided UD 10 for Conn (99-91, 99-91, 97-93), running his career record to 24-3-2 (11) and putting him back in the LH title picture after two straight wins following recent setbacks in title bouts. The loss drops the post-Prime Olin to 33-18-3 (10), and the hopes for a resurgence for the one-time NABF LH Champ appeared to be extinguished. In the main event, Tony Shucco is making his fourth defense of his NABF LH title (all in 1940), this time against challenger Joe “Cairo Calamity” Knight. Shucco is looking to avenge an earlier loss to Knight, via a SD 10, back in 1936 – now Knight is at Post-Prime and a less formidable opponent. Knight tries to get aggressive and mix it up on the inside, but is unsuccessful, as Shucco’s jab is effective at keeping Knight at bay. Superior boxing skills enable Shucco to forge a formidable lead in punches landed by the midway point but, for some reason, the unofficial scorer at ringside has the bout even (57-all). Shucco continues his workmanlike performance, gradually wearing down Knight in the later rounds to take a UD 12 (117-112, 117-113, 115-114) and retain the belt. Post-bout career marks: Shucco, 35-12-1 (11); Knight, 33-13-3 (17). Both Conn and Shucco are angling for a shot at the WBA LH Champ Eddie Booker by the end of the year. It remains to be seen if this will happen for either man; perhaps they will end up meeting each other in a rematch of a bout earlier this year, won by Shucco.

Aug. 30, 1940: Another Friday night card is next, this one at Manila’s Rizal Arena. Unbeaten Filipino Flyweight hopeful Little Dado has his first title shot, for the OPBF Fly title currently held by veteran Small Montana. No prior meetings; for Montana, it is the fourth defense of this title he has held since 1935. Early edge to the challenger, Dado, who manages to take the opening two rounds, but Montana finds the range from the outside as Dado gets overly aggressive in round three. Dado rebounds quickly, taking the next two rounds; Montana battles back, winning the sixth but is behind (58-56 on the unofficial card) at the midway point. More exchanges on the outside in rounds seven and eight, again favoring the challenger. Montana, who is beginning to tire, gets more aggressive as the bout heads into the later rounds. Dado also tires badly down the stretch, and a late surge from Montana closes the gap. Dado regains the initiative in round 11, taking advantage of a rapidly swelling left eye on the part of Montana. Dado takes the last two rounds and a UD 12 (116-112, 115-113, 115-113), lifting the belt and running his unbeaten record to 23-0 (13). There is already talk of a WBA title shot, either later in 1940 or in early 1941. The loss leaves Montana at 23-12-4 (8).

Aug. 31, 1940: The month wraps with a card at Mexico City, with a WBA title bout as the featured event. FWs on display, both in the title bout and in the main supporting bout, a non-title affair matching two top 10 contenders: Filio Julian Echevarria and Frankie Covelli. Echevarria, the reigning LABF FW titleholder, holds a UD win over Covelli in one prior meeting, back in Havana in 1935 – and now, five years later, both are at Post-Prime career stage for this rematch. The two appear to be evenly matched, as indicated by the fact that the unofficial scorer has it even (48-all) at the midway point. Covelli begins to tire in the later stages, enabling Echevarria to gradually pull ahead, grinding out a points win. UD 10 to Echevarria (96-94, 96-95, 98-94) to push his career totals to 37-14-4 (12); the loss drops Covelli to 32-13- 8 (7). Then, it’s time for the main event, for the WBA FW title, with the titleholder, Mike “Bronx Spider” Belloise, facing a difficult challenger in former Champ, reigning NABF FW Champ and hometown crowd favorite Baby Arizmendi. First meeting of the two, and Arizmendi has won his last three since losing the WBA title belt in a controversial DQ loss to Chalky Wright. Arizmendi looks sharp from the opening bell, landing repeatedly and dominating the action in the first two rounds. Belloise bounces back with a big round three, but his efforts to move inside are neutralized by some strong defense and counterpunching from the Mexican challenger. Arizmendi holds a slight points advantage (48-47, on the unofficial card) after the first five rounds. Belloise tries unsuccessfully to bang away on the inside, and Arizmendi pulls ahead even further (97-93 on the unofficial card) headed into the later rounds. Arizmendi gradually wears down Belloise and regains the WBA title with a comfortable UD 15 (147-139, 147-138, 144-141). Big win for Arizmendi in front of his hometown fans. Post-bout career marks: Arizmendi, 42-9-2 (10); Belloise, 26-10-5 (9).

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 50 bouts taking place during the first half of September 1940. One WBA title bout is included in this report.

Sep. 6, 1940: This month’s action commences with a nice card at Philadelphia. Although no titles are at stake, the feature bout showcases the skills of MW boxers, both of whom have recently risen up the ranks to top 10 contender status: Ben “the Belter” Brown versus Al “the Savage Slav” Hostak. One prior meeting, back in 1938, saw Hostak hand Brown a UD loss. More recently, both men have compiled impressive winning streaks: Hostak has won his last five outings, while Brown has won his last seven, remaining unbeaten in the two and a half years since the loss to Hostak. This time around, it is a big opening round for Hostak, and Brown’s right eye shows signs of swelling as a result. The punches landed count remains relatively even through the first four rounds. In round five, Hostak breaks through Brown’s defenses and lands a huge cross, forcing Brown to cover up to last the round. Hostak holds a slim points lead at the midway point (48-47, according to the unofficial card). In round six, a relentless Hostak lands a big shot that sends Brown to the canvas; Brown takes a count of six, and then manages to survive the round. Brown recovers and bounces back with a big round seven, doing enough damage to cause a welt to form under the right eye of Hostak. The bruising battle comes down to the wire, with Hostak unable to repeat his earlier success in the later rounds, as Brown’s defense remains solid. The bout goes the distance, and Brown manages to reverse the results of the earlier bout, taking a narrow but UD 10 (95-94 on all three cards) by winning the last four rounds in a miraculous comeback. Post-bout career marks: 25-4-`1 (15) for Brown; 29-5 (24) for Hostak.

Sep. 7, 1940: Next is a card at Rome. In the feature bout, Istvan Enekes seeks to regain the EBU Flyweight title, challenging current Champion, Frenchman Valentin Angelmann. It’s a rematch of an earlier bout, also in Rome, in late 1939, that resulted in a narrow points win for Angelmann. Since then, Enekes has won two straight, including an impressive UD win over long-time WBA Champ Midget Wolgast, setting up this rematch for the EBU title belt. After a lackluster opening stanza, Enekes takes charge in round two, landing some punishing blows to seize the early edge in the fight. By round five, there is noticeable swelling around the right eye of Angelmann. Solid points edge for Enekes at the midway point (60-55 on the unofficial card), and the Hungarian continues to press forward and add to his lead in the later rounds. Weak performance by Angelmann, who lacks the energy and the firepower to stage a comeback, and it’s no surprise that Enekes is able to regain the EBU title for the third time, taking a UD 12 (by scores of 117-111, 118-110, 119-109). As a result, Enekes improves to 35-9-1 (10) while Angelmann slips to 36-19-1 (13).

Sep. 7, 1940: To the West Coast for a somewhat abbreviated card of fistic action at Seattle’s Sicks Stadium. Featured are two veterans of the ring wars, long-time WW title contenders, Young Corbett III and Jimmy “Baby Face” McLarnin, the five-time former WBA WW Champion. It will be the fourth meeting of these two, and McLarnin won all three of their prior meetings, two of these with the WBA title at stake. However, with McLarnin at End career stage, perhaps this bout is Corbett’s best chance to reverse the trend. Neither man is able to land telling blows in the opening rounds, and this favors the more tactical boxer, Corbett, who manages to compile a slight punches landed advantage, although the unofficial scorer has McLarnin ahead (by a 48-47 count) at the halfway point. McLarnin, despite a rapidly swelling right eye, continues to press forward and, in the end, he is rewarded with a UD 10 (96-93, 95-94, 95-94), aided by a 10-8 final round due to a point deduction for repeated low blows by Corbett. McLarnin announces his retirement immediately after the bout, going out on top, wrapping up a successful career with a record of 54-14-2 (24). Corbett, who expects to continue fighting into 1941, ended the bout at 55-19-6 (13).

Sep. 13, 1940: North of the border for a light but packed Friday night card at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Two bouts of note, one for a vacant NABF title with a co-feature pairing two top 10 MW contenders. In the co-feature, current CBU MW Champ Lou Brouillard faces Charley Burley in a non-title affair. First meeting of the two, and Burley gets off to a great start, launching a two-fisted attack that causes puffiness around both eyes of the Canadian crowd favorite. In round three, Burley causes more damage as Brouillard absorbs a wicked uppercut to the head, drops to the canvas and takes a nine count, as well as sustaining a dangerous cut over his left eye. Burley wastes little time in following up, hammering blow after blow until the ref is forced to call a halt in the following round. TKO 4 for Burley, improving his career record to 22-1 (20); tough loss for Brouilard, who drops to 32-13-3 (14) with the loss. Burley’s dominant performance has strengthened his claim for a title shot, while Brouillard (now at Post-Prime), is not likely to be among the top contenders much longer. In the main event, it’s another US versus Canadian matchup, as Georgie Hansford takes on Jack “Spider” Armstrong for the NABF FW title, recently vacated by Baby Arizmendi, who moved up to win the WBA FW title. Armstrong is the aggressor in the early rounds, but he runs into trouble in round five, when Hansford opens a cut over his right eye. Armstrong holds a slight points edge at the midway point (58-56, according to the unofficial card). The cut over the eye is re-opened in round seven, and the cut continues to ooze blood. Then, in round nine, Hansford decks Armstrong, who manages to scramble to his feet at the count of six, covering up to last the round, although there is now a trace of swelling under his left eye in addition to the cut over the left one. In the later rounds, Hansford continues to pile up points, doing enough to capture the vacant belt via a UD 12 (114-113, 116-111, 115-112). Post-bout career marks: Hansford, 30-10-1 (11); Armstrong, 24-4 (12).

Sep. 14, 1940: Next card is at Escobar Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Twin bill main event featuring ranked contenders but no titles on offer. In the first of these, former long-time WBA Flyweight Champ Midget Wolgast, on the comeback trail but now at Post-Prime, takes on CBU Fly Champ Benny Lynch. Wolgst managed to defeat Lynch, in their one prior meeting for the WBA title in 1939, but the veteran ex-Champ has lost twice since, having hit Post-Prime career stage. Lynch, for his part, also at Post-Prime, suffered a subsequent loss to rising star Little Dado, but then bounced back with a win over lightly-regarded Jimmy Warnock. In the rematch, Wolgast initially appears to overcome the effects of aging, dominating the early action and causing a trace of swelling around the right eye of Lynch. Lynch tries to open things up, becoming more aggressive, and in round three, he drops Wolgast with a cross that puts the ex-Champ down for a six-count. Despite the early KD, Wolgast manages to land enough to keep the bout even (47-47 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. Both men tire badly in the second half of the bout, and the verdict goes down as a UD 10 win for Wolgast (97-92, 95-94, 97-92), who took the final round on all three cards to wrap up the win, improving his career record to 51-7-1 (18). Meanwhile, the loss dropped Lynch to 32-10 (16). In the second co-feature, former LABF LW Champion Chino Alvarez faces a former foe and one-time USBA LW Champ Eddie Cool. The two met a decade ago, when both were unbeaten and at Pre-Prime, with Alvarez taking a TKO win. Despite being at Post-Prime, Cool manages to pull out an early lead, forging a slight points edge (49-47 on the unofficial card) at the midway point. Into the later rounds, and Alvarez picks up the pace and putting Cool on the defensive, opening up a cut over his right eye in round nine. However, in the end it is not enough, as Cool is rewarded with a MD 10 (98-94, 96-96, 97-95). Post-bout career marks: Cool, 35-15-5 (12); Alvarez, 35-13-4 (22).

Sep. 14, 1940: Excitement is in the air as a WBA title bout headlines the agenda at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. In the co-feature, the lesser title of NABF LW Champion is on the line, as Lou Ambers defends for the second time, facing challenger Al Roth, the man he defeated to pick up the belt back in 1939. Since then, Roth dropped a decision to Jack Kid Berg but has won his last two, both in 1940, while Ambers fell short in a WBA title try but then defended most recently, in July, versus Eddie Cool. Solid boxing exhibition from Ambers who gradually builds a points lead from the outset. The unofficial scorer has Ambers well ahead (by a count of 60-55) on the unofficial card, but Roth, however, exhibits good stamina and remains active as the bout heads into the later rounds. The bout goes the distance, and Roth’s second half surge is enough to impress one of the judges, but, in the end, the SD 12 goes to Ambers (115-113, 112-116, 115-113) to retain the title and push his career totals to 33-3-1 (18); the loss drops Roth to 35-9-1 (12). Then, it’s time for the main event, for the WBA WW title, with the titleholder, Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong returns to defend this belt after an unsuccessful attempt to challenge for the WBA MW title. The challenger is #4 ranked contender, reigning LABF WW Champion Cocoa Kid, who battled Armstrong to a draw in a non-title encounter back in 1939. Not much in the way of action until round four, when Armstrong connects with a cross, sending Kid to the canvas. Kid arises after taking a seven count, and Armstrong follows up with a second KD later in the round but cannot put the challenger away. Huge points lead for Armstrong (50-46, on the unofficial card) after the first five. The end comes in round seven, after Armstrong rips open a cut over Kid’s right eye, and blood spurts out, leading to an immediate stoppage. TKO 7 to Armstrong on the cuts stoppage. Post-bout career marks: Armstrong, 33-4-3 (27); Kid, 37-7-4 (11).

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 51 bouts taking place during the second half of September 1940. Two WBA title bouts are included in this report.

Sep. 20, 1940: Next up is a Friday night “Down Under” card at Melbourne, Australia. Veteran Aussie MW contender Ron Richards, a one-time WBA MW Champ, takes on Yank Freddie Apostoli, aka the “Boxing Bellhop.” No prior meetings, and both men are coming off recent losses and attempting to re-establish their credentials as top MW contenders. Good start from Apostoli, and there is noticeable swelling under the the right eye of Richards as early as the end of round two. Solid, workmanlike effort from Apostoli, who is firmly in command at the halfway point (50-45, according to the unofficial count). In round six, Apostoli decks Richards with a combination; the Aussie recovers and covers up after taking a count of eight. A barrage of blows from Apostoli results in a second KD in round seven. Two more KDs, both from uppercuts, follow in the final round, with Richards barely managing to last the distance. The end result is a forgone conclusion, with Apostoli taking a one-sided UD 10 (98-88, 100-86, 99-88). Post-bout career marks: 24-6-1 (20) for Apostoli; 35-14-2 (24) for Richards.

Sep. 21, 1940: Next is a card at Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium. An EBU HW title tilt tops the card, but first up is a co-feature matching newly-crowned GBU LH Champ, Freddie Mills, in his first outing at Prime career stage, and it’s a tough assignment for the young Brit, as his opponent is recently dethroned WBA LH titleholder, Adolf Heuser, in Heuser’s first bout after losing the title to John Henry Lewis. “Fearless Freddie” wastes little time, putting the “Bulldog of the Rhine” down near the end of the first round. Heuser arises at the count of eight, on wobbly legs, and is thankful for the bell sounding before Mills can do further damage. It takes a bit longer, until round four, for Mills to put Heuser in difficulty again, this time ripping open a gash over a rapidly swelling right eye. In the other rounds, Heuser has been holding his own, as indicated by a reasonably close score count (48-46, on the unofficial card) at the midway point of this non-title affair. Both men remain active headed into the later rounds, and in the eighth round, Heuser gets careless and runs into another big shot from Mills. After taking an eight count, Heuser covers up and manages to last the round. With the cut over his eye continuing to ooze blood, Heuser goes on the offensive but cannot seriously trouble Mills, who goes on to register an impressive UD 10 win (97-91, 96-92, 98-92) to improve his excellent career totals to 20-1 (13), while Heuser’s second straight setback leaves him at 35-10-1 (17). Then, in the feature, top HW contender Max Schmeling, denied a rematch with WBA HW Champ Joe Louis, defends his EBU HW title against “the British Brown Bomber,” the reigning CBU and GBU Champion, whom Max stopped in an earlier meeting, back in 1937. Not much in the way of action this time around until round five, when a Schmeling combination drops Martin who manages to scramble to his feet – barely – as the count reaches nine. Not much resistance from the British figher, who is outclassed by Schemling both in terms of power punching as well as boxing proficiency. One-sided points lead for Schmeling (60-54 on the unofficial card) at the midway point, and Martin falls victim to another strong shot from Schmeling in round nine, and this time he is unable to beat the count. KO 9 for Schmeling. Post-bout career marks: 52-6-1 (36) for Schmeling; 25-8-2 (15) for Martin. Six straight wins now for Schmeling (since his last loss to Louis), leaving boxing fans to wonder: will there be a fourth Louis vs Schmeling meeting?

Sep. 21, 1940: Halfway around the globe, the aforementioned Joe Louis is set to defend his title before a capacity crowd in Detroit. First up, several preliminary bouts, including the promising WW prospect, “Sugar” Ray Robinson, who once again makes mincemeat of his TC opponent, running his record to a perfect 4-0 (4) with a second round TKO stoppage win. Then, in first of two co-features, two ranked HWs collide, with Lee Ramage facing Jack Trammell. Trammell, the more aggressive of the two, has the better of it in the early rounds and manages to drop Ramage with a cross in the fifth round, also causing some swelling around the right eye of Ramage. Trammell is able to amass a solid points lead (50-46, on the unofficial card) by the midway point. Ramage battles on, but cannot do much to derail Trammell, who goes on to take a UD 10 (98-92, 98-91, 97-93), pushing his career totals to 29-9 (13); the loss drops the post-Prime Ramage to 35-12-1 (11). In the second main supporting bout, Izzy Jannazzo faces Freddie Cochrane in a rematch of a drawn bout from earlier in the year, with Jannazzo’s USBA WW title at stake. In the rematch, the bout remains fairly even through the first half (the unofficial scorer has it 57-all at the halfway point). As the bout wears on, Jannazzo exhibits better stamina but, in round nine, he sustains a cut over his left eye, while Cochrane has troubles of his own, beginning to tire while dealing with a rapidly swelling left eye. In the end, Jannazzo manages to do just enough to escape with a SD 12 verdict (112-116, 115-113, 115-113), retaining the USBA title and perhaps setting up a WBA title matchup with WBA WW Champ Henry Armstrong. Then, in the finale, Joe Louis takes to the ring, facing challenger Art Lasky for Louis’ WBA HW title. It is the second WBA title try for Lasky, who was a KO 3 victim of Louis back in 1938. Late in round one, Louis stuns Lasky with a cross and then puts the challenger on the deck with a wicked cross to the head. Lasky is unable to beat the count, so it goes down as another KO 1 for Louis. Post-bout records: Louis, 32-1 (30); Lasky, 28-10-2 (26). Seventh straight KO win for Louis, four in the last rounds, and there remains speculation about Louis’ next opponent: will it be Schmeling, the #1 ranked contender, or some lower-ranked re-tread (hate to use the word "Bum," but most of other guys in the division are being made to look like Bums by Louis) similar to Lasky?

Sep. 27, 1940: Next is a Friday night card at the Nueva Circa in Caracas, Venezuela. No titles at stake, and the main event pairs hometown favorite Enrique Chafferdet takes on OPBF FW Champion Tsuneo Horiguchi. First meeting of the two and, after a long feeling-out process, the more aggressive Japanese fighter gains the upper hand (50-45, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside) at the midway point. However, the punches landed stats show a slight edge for Chafferdet, and the judges may be influenced by the hometown crowd as well. In round eight, Horiguchi is cut over his right eye, thwarting any further progress. Chafferdet is content to stay on the outside for most of the bout, allowing Horiguchi to be the one to force the action. In the final round, Horiguchi connects with a cross that drops Chafferdet to the canvas. The Venezuelan resumes, covering up to last to the final bell, and the final scorecards favor Horiguchi, who takes a UD 10 (96-93, 97-92, 98-91). Post-bout career marks: Horiguchi, 27-7 (15); Chafferdet, 36-20-8 (10). Three wins in succession lift Horiguchi to among the elite fighters in the division, and into the conversation as a possible WBA FW title contender; meanwhile, Chafferdet, who has recently hit Post-Prime, is definitely on the downside of his career arc.

Sep. 28, 1940: Next card is at the Olympia in London. No titles at stake, and the main event features two BW contenders, with reigning Commonwealth BW Champ Benny Sharkey facing Mexico’s Raul Casanova. While Casanova is higher rated, Sharkey enjoys the support of the hometown crowd. Slight early advantage for the Mexican fighter in terms of punches landed, and Sharkey maintains an aggressive posture despite not being able to penetrate Casanova’s defenses. In round five, Sharkey leaves himself open for a Casanova hook that drops the Brit to the canvas. Sharkey arises at the count of eight, but the KD has given Casanova the points lead (48-46 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. Sharkey battles back, landing a big hook in the sixth round that forces Casanova to cover up to last the round. However, Casanova exhibits superior stamina and gradually wears down Sharkey in the second half of the bout, leaving the Brit flailing around helplessly in the final rounds. A second KD follows in round nine, and the verdict goes down as a UD 10 for Casanova (96-92, 97-91, 97-91), who improves to 27-8-1 (14) overall, while the post-Prime Sharkey dips to 35-16-2 (19).

Sep. 28, 1940: The month wraps with a big card at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A WBA title bout tops the card, preceded by some non-title action, with both bouts featuring top LH talent. In the main support, long-time contender Tiger Jack Fox seeks to redeem his career after a shocking KO loss to Al Gainer; he faces another long-time LH contender, Pal Silvers, who is now at Post-Prime career stage. Turns out to be an easy win for Fox, who decks Silvers in the opening round with an uppercut and the finishes matters with three more KDs in the fourth for an automatic TKO 4 win to lift his career stats to a gaudy 48-6-1 (34); the loss drops Silvers to 40-19-6 (15). Then, it’s time for the main event, for the WBA LH title, with the titleholder, Eddie Booker, facing the challenge of Gus Lesnevich. First meeting of the two, and it is Booker’s first title defense and Lesnevich’s second try for the WBA belt, having dropped a UD 15 to Maxie Rosenbloom in early 1939. Good start for Booker who takes the opening round. After a couple of close rounds, Lesnevich moves inside and lands some solid shots in round four, causing Booker to begin to carry his hands low. The first five rounds on the unofficial card slow a slight edge for Booker (by a count of 49-47), but at least two of the rounds were close and could have gone either way. Lesnevich gains the upper hand in round six, gradually applying more pressure, but Booker bounces back with a big round seven. Slight stamina edge for the challenger as the bout heads into the later rounds. Booker is still clinging to a narrow points lead (96-95, according to the unofficial card) after 10 rounds. Not much to choose between the two in rounds 11 and 12 – two more close rounds that could be scored either way. Lesnevich becomes more aggressive in round 13, but he only gains a slight edge in punches landed as Booker’s defense remains firm. It comes down to the final few rounds, and Booker remains active until the final bell, with Lesnevich also not backing down. Final result – no surprise – a close and non-unanimous verdict, as the belt changes hands via a SD 15 for Lesnevich (145-141, 143-144, 144-142) in a bout that could have gone either way, with Booker managing to close the gap by winning the final round. Gus Lesnevich becomes the fourth man to hold the WBA LH title in the last four title bouts, all within the last year. Post-bout career marks: Lesnevich, 29-4-2 (14); Booker, 23-3 (14).

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 57 bouts taking place during the first half of October 1940. No WBA title bouts featured in any of these cards.

Oct. 4, 1940: The month kicks off with a Friday night card at Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium. No titles on the line, but the feature has none other than Jersey Joe Walcott, recently crowned USBA HW Champ, taking on long-time British top contender Tommy Farr in a 10-rounder. It is the first meeting of the two, and, after a cautious start by both men, Walcott opens up and begins to assert himself with a big round two. In round three, he manages to rip open a cut over the right eye of Farr. Another big round for Walcott in the fifth, in which he stunned the British visitor with a huge uppercut; solid points lead for Jersey Joe at the halfway point (50-45, according to the unofficial count). A straight right from Walcott at the outset of round eight rocks Farr again, and the cut also remains an issue for his corner. Farr gamely tries to battle back, but he is off target with his punches and totally exhausted for the last two rounds of the fight. Solid effort from Walcott, who takes a fairly comfortable UD 10 (98-92, 98-92, 97-93) to run his career record to 39-6 (24). Farr, who is just a couple of bouts away from hitting Post-Prime, is 46-16-3 (16) post-fight.

Oct. 5, 1940: Next action is at a rarely-used venue, the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Topping the agenda is a non-title matchup of two top 10 WWs, Ruby Goldstein and Holland’s Bep Van Klaveren. Goldstein, who is now past his prime, is looking to avenge an earlier loss to Van Klaveren back in 1936. Midway through the second round, Van Klaveren sustains a cut over his left eye. The cut continues to ooze blood and causes problems for the Dutchman and his corner as the bout progresses. However, Van Klaveren bounces back with a strong round in the fifth, and the unofficial card scores the bout even (47-all) at the halfway point. Meanwhile, Goldstein must deal with a rapidly swelling right eye, so the cornermen of both fighters are fully engaged in this one. Then, a sudden end to the bout in round seven, when the gash over Van Klaveren’s eye is reopened and becomes too dangerous to allow the bout to continue. Amidst boos from the crowd and protests from Van Klaveren’s corner, Ruby Goldstein’s hand is raised in triumph as he is declared a TKO 7 victor via the cuts stoppage. Post-bout career marks: 45-14-5 (30) for Goldstein; 30-13-8 (11) for Van Klaveren. Tough loss for Van Klaveren, who was ahead on two of the three cards at the time of the stoppage. For Goldstein, he avenges the prior loss but will be at End career stage from now on, so this could be the last main event win of his career.

Oct. 5, 1940: Next card is at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Featured is a NABF BW title matchup, featuring the unbeaten Champion Tommy Forte, who is making the first defense of the belt that he won earlier in the year. His opponent is Lou Salica, who recently ascended to the USBA title. Forte and Salica battled to a draw in early 1939, in Forte’s last bout at Pre-Prime and, to date, it is the only blemish on Forte’s excellent 23-0-1 career record. This time around, Forte assumes the role of aggressor and seizes the upper hand when he connects with a blow to the top of the head that stuns Salica late in round three. Solid boxing from Salica impresses the judges, as well as the unofficial scorer at ringside, who has the challenger ahead (59-55) at the halfway point of the bout. Forte, not used to going longer distances, begins to show signs of fatigue as the later rounds approach. He tries to load up on his punches, but Salica’s defense remains firm. No cuts or knockdowns as the bout goes to decision. In a minor surprise, their earlier result is repeated, as it ends up being declared a draw (115-114 Forte, 113-115 Salica, 114-114), allowing Forte to keep the belt. Post-bout records: Forte, 23-0-2 (11); Salica, 26-6-2 (10). A peek at the cards showed that Salica’s decision to adopt a more defensive posture in the last two rounds cost him the win, as Forte won both those rounds to secure the draw.

Oct. 11, 1940: Next is a Friday night card at another seldom used venue, Buenos Aires’ Luna Park. At stake in the main event is the LABF HW title, held since 1937 by Jimmy Mendes. Mendes is defending against the man he defeated for the title, Eduardo Primo, but this time he must face a hostile crowd in Mendes’ native Argentina. Mendes takes charge at the outset, decking Primo with a hard cross in the opening stanza. Primo regains his footing and attempts to cover up, but Mendes shows no mercy, following with two more KDs, prompting the ref to call a halt before the first round is finished. The TKO 1 for Mendes lifts his career totals to 37-11-4 (30), while the loss leaves Primo at 19-11-1 (11). The fact that Mendes was at Post-Prime did not seem to hamper his performance or diminish his power, as he re-established his credentials as a possible WBA title contender.

Oct. 12, 1940: The setting for the next card is at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. Two non-title clashes serve as the co-main events, both of which feature Italian boxers versus visiting opponents. In the first co-feature, LWs do battle as Wesley Ramey faces veteran Italian Aldo Spoldi. The two met once before, way back in 1932, when both were at Pre-Prime, and that bout ended in a draw. Ramey is on top early, and by the end of the third round, there is puffiness under Spoldi’s right eye. Slight edge to Ramey at the midway point (48-47, according to the unofficial card), and more trouble for Spoldi as a cut opens up over his left eye in round six. The cut is reopened in round nine, but otherwise not a problem, as the Italian – possibly with an assist from some hometown judging – manages to secure a draw (97-93 Ramey, 94-96 Spoldi, 95-95). Post-fight career records: Ramey, 31-10-7 (11); Spoldi, 35-9-5 (15). Then, in the co-feature, popular Italian HW, Primo Carnera, the “Ambling Alp,” faces “Der Blonde,” German Walter Neusel in a matchup of two veteran HWs. Carnera is seeking to avenge a TKO loss to Neusel for the EBU HW title back in 1938. Big punches landed edge to Neusel in the opening round, so much so that a mouse is formed under the left eye of Carnera. Solid points lead for Neusel (50-45, on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. In the later rounds, a weary-looking Carnera stalks his opponent but cannot land any telling blows. In round eight, a Neusel combination sends Carnera to the canvas. Carnera manages to arise, finishing the bout, but the UD 10 goes to Neusel by a lopsided score (99-89, 100-88, 100-88), leaving Carnera’s supporters disappointed. With the win, Neusel improves to 26-11-2 (18) overall, while Carnera ends the bout at 32-13-3 (23).

Oct. 12, 1940: Next fistic action is at Pittsburgh. A packed card headlined by an NABF title bout. However, first up is the main supporting bout featuring two veteran HW contenders, as Elmer Ray faces Tommy Loughran. Ray holds a prior win via KO over Loughran back in 1936. This time, it’s a tough start for Ray who sustains a cut over his right eye in the second round. Ray battles back, stunning Loughran with a solid uppercut in round four. Ray follows up by forcing his way inside in round five, and he decks Loughran with a big shot. In an exact repeat of their earlier encounter, Loughran cannot beat the count, and it goes as another KO 5 win for Ray, who improves to 44-12 (30). After the loss, Loughran decides to call it quits, wrapping a distinguished career with totals of 64-16-5 (20) that included a long reign as WBA LH Champion although the HW title proved more elusive. After saying farewell to Loughran, the fight fans settled in for the main event, with former WBA LH Champ Billy Conn, the “Pittsburgh Kid,” challenging Tony Shucco for Shucco’s NABF LH title. It’s a rematch of a bout earlier in the year that resulted in a controversial MD 12 win for Shucco. Cautious start by both men, particularly Shucco, who enters the bout riding a seven bout unbeaten streak (six wins, one draw). The bout remains close through the opening rounds, and the unofficial scorer has a slight edge for Shucco (58-56) at the midway point, although several rounds were close and could have gone either way. Conn appears to be in better shape stamina-wise as the bout heads into the later rounds. In round nine, a right cross from Shucco does some damage, ripping open a cut under the left eye of Conn. Shucco continues to pound away from the inside, targeting the cut eye, while Conn is content to stay outside, also protecting the cut. The bout comes down to the final few rounds, The cut is not re-opened, and Conn’s superior stamina and conditioning enable him to lift the belt via a SD 12 (115-115 Shucco, 115-114 Conn, 116-113 Conn), to the delight of the pro-Conn crowd in Pittsburgh. Post-bout career marks: Conn, 25-3-2 (11); Shucco, 35-13-1 (11). Conn’s connections hope this win will serve as a springboard to another WBA title shot, this time versus new WBA LH Champ Gus Lesnevich.

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 58 bouts taking place during the second half of October 1940. One WBA title bout is included.

Oct. 18, 1940: Once again, it’s time for the Friday night “Down Under” card, this time in Sydney, Australia. Plenty of action showcasing homegrown Aussie talent versus other fighters from around the world, and the main event is no exception as USBA MW Champion Holman Williams faces Australian Fred Henneberry, his OPBF counterpart. First meeting of the two, and a stern test for Henneberry, as Williams has won his last five outings since losing the WBA MW title to Freddie Steele in early 1939. Williams dominates the action in the opening few rounds, demonstrating superior boxing skills. Williams proves to be an elusive target for Henneberry, so it is no surprise that the unofficial card at the midway point has Williams well ahead on points (by a margin of 50-45). By the end of round six, Williams has landed sufficient leather to cause some swelling around the right eye of his Aussie opponent. Henneberry tires badly down the stretch, but no cuts or knockdowns as Williams coasts to a very lopsided UD 10 win (100-90 on all three cards) – no hometown judging to assist the Aussie fighter in this bout -- to run his career record to 33-6 (20), putting him in excellent position for a WBA MW title shot in 1941. For Henneberry, now 30-15-2 (12), aging effects will kick in so he will be at Post-Prime starting with his next bout.

Oct. 19, 1940: Next card is at the Forum in Montreal. No titles at stake, and the main event features two long-time top HW contenders: Max Baer and Canadian hopeful Larry Gains. First meeting of the two sluggers, who sport over 50 KO victories between them. Gains gives the Canadian crowd something to cheer about when he decks Baer with a big shot in the opening round. After taking an eight count, Baer arises and attempts to cover up. He almost makes it to the end of the round without further damage, but then a barrage of blows from Gains sends Max to the canvas for a second time right before the end of the round, but this time Baer is saved by the bell. Second round sees Baer begin to settle in, landing some punches, sufficient to cause some initial puffiness under the left eye of Gains. Baer dominates in the punches landed stats, but repeatedly fouling causes some points deductions, and Gains has the edge on the unofficial card (48-45) at the midway point of the bout. Big round six for Baer, but the sting is gone from both men’s punches as fatigue sets in as the bout progresses. Baer remains active and takes rounds seven and eight, putting pressure on Gains to become more aggressive in the final two rounds. In round nine, more fouling by Baer – using the elbows – and finally the ref has seen enough, handing the bout to Gains via a DQ-9, a very controversial call that is heralded by the pro-Gains crowd here in Montreal. Post-bout career marks: 45-20 (25) for Gains; 32-14 (28) for Baer. Tough loss for Baer, who had even the score on two of the judges’ cards and was ahead on a third; Max has one more bout before joining Gains at Post-Prime career stage.

Oct. 19, 1940: On to Los Angeles’ Olympic Auditorium for the next fight card. The highlight of a packed card is a WBA title bout, amply supported by a couple of top-flight matchups as co-features. In the first of these, two ranked BWs lock horns in a non-title affair, as Pete “Baby Cyclone” Sanstol faces Henry “Hoosier Hurricane” Hook. No prior meetings, so interesting to see how the “Cyclone” does against the Hurricane.” Despite the impressive nicknames, action is slow to develop in this one, with Sanstol pulling out a slight lead (49-48 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. Sanstol, the slicker boxer, continues to do well into the later rounds, gradually wearing down his less experienced opponent. In the last couple of rounds, a desperate Hook tries to get more aggressive but fails to penetrate Sanstol’s defenses. The bout goes the full 10 without any cuts or knockdowns, and – with one judge calling the fight even, it goes as a MD 10 for Sanstol (98-94, 96-96, 97-95), who improves to 40-14-5 (9) with the win. Hook falls to 27-12 (10) after the loss. In the second supporting bout, the USBA FW title is at stake as unbeaten Harold Hoshino defends that belt against a former WBA FW Champ, Chalky Wright, who is on the comeback trail; after losing the title to Kid Chocolate, he has registered a win over Canadian veteran Pete DeGrasse and is looking to do the same versus the highly regarded but as yet untested Hoshino. Through the early rounds, Wright proves to be the more effective of the two, using his jab to set up some power punches, enough to cause a mouse to form under the right eye of Hoshino by the end of the fourth round. Hoshino, who has yet to face such a skilled opponent, struggles with his timing and trails badly (59-55, according to the unofficial card) at the halfway point of the bout. Wright, who has a huge stamina edge to go with the early points lead, is content to sit back, not taking many chances, forcing Hoshino to initiate the action. Hoshino does, however, manage to get in a good shot, a right hook that stuns Wright early in round 10, forcing the challenger to cover up. In the end, Wright does enough to take a comfortable UD 12 (118-110, 118-110, 117-111), earning him the USBA FW title belt and handing Hoshino – now 25-1 (15) – his first career loss. Now 36-11-4 (15), Wright is angling for another WBA title shot in 1941. Then, in the finale, the WBA MW title is on the line as Freddie Steele, eschewing tough matchups with top-rated guys like Tony Zale, takes on a relatively lower-ranked guy, Teddy Yarosz, whom he has defeated twice before, back in 1934 and again in 1937. However, this one comes to a sudden and surprising end in the opening minute as Yarosz rips open a gash over the right eye of Steele with a hard right cross, following up with a second cross that caused more blood to spurt, causing an immediate stoppage. TKO 1 to Yarosz, who becomes the new WBA MW Champ on the early stoppage. Post-bout records: Yarosz, 36-14-3 (13); Steele, 47-7-1 (31). The shocking result snaps a nine-bout winning streak by Steele, the last six coming in defenses of the WBA belt. To add further insult, Steele is due to hit Post-Prime career stage in 1941, while Yarosz looks forward to making his initial title defense before the end of 1940.

Oct. 25, 1940: More Friday night fistic action, this time a fairly abbreviated card at the Rizal Arena in Manila, featuring mainly Filipino fighters versus foreign guests. The main event is a non-title affair and a stern test for unbeaten and newly crowned OPBF Flyweight Champion Little Dado, who faces Brit Jackie Brown, a veteran campaigner who until recently held the EBU Fly title and still retains the GBU Fly belt. First meeting of the two, and it’s a 10-round, non-title affair. In round two, Dado rips open a cut over the right eye of Brown. A round later, the same eye begins to puff up as Dado sharpens his attack on the damaged eye – all bad news for Brown, who faces a hostile crowd as well as an unbeaten fighter looking to move up the ranks and possibly in line for a WBA title shot. The cut is reopened in round five, and by the end of this round, Dado has forged a points lead (49-47 on the unofficial card). Into the second half of the bout, and Brown remains a competitive threat although Dado appears to have a stamina advantage. The cut is reopened a second time in round eight, and in desperation Brown goes on an all-out offensive despite the fact blood is still oozing from the patched-up opening. A game Brown manages to last the distance and, in a huge surprise, the judges award him a UD 10 (97-94 on all cards), to the surprise of many and the dismay of the pro-Dado crowd. The boos ring out the arena as Brown, who will hit Post-Prime in his next outing, improves to 38-15-5 (12) with the win, while handing Dado – now 23-1 (13) – his first career setback. Dado’s march to a WBA title shot is momentarily stalled, while Brown re-establishes his credentials as a possible WBA title contender.

Oct. 26, 1940: The cream of the crop among British fighters are featured at a packed card at London’s Harringay Arena, headlined by a pair of title bouts plus a preliminary supporting matchup with former WBA BW Champion Johnny King, on the comeback trail after capturing the GBU and EBU BW title belts, seeks to extend a four-bout winning streak by taking on a fringe contender from the States, Lew Farber. First meeting of the two, and King starts well, scoring repeatedly in the opening few rounds versus the overly cautious Farber. Early in round five, King connects with a hook to the head that rocks Farber, forcing the American fighter to cover up. Farber manages to remain upright and last the round, but at the halfway point King holds a solid points lead (49-46, according to the unofficial scorer at ringside). King’s superior stamina and ring savvy begins to show as the bout heads into the later rounds. Late in round seven, Farber absorbs a wicked cross to the head, and he is fortunate to be saved by the bell ending the round. Another KD for King follows in round nine, but Farber – battling a rapidly swelling right eye – manages to last the distance. No question about the outcome, as King takes a very solid UD 10 verdict (98-89, 99-88, 98-88) for win #5 in a row to boost his career record to 51-6-1 (20), reinforcing his status at #1 contender for the WBA BW title. Post-fight, Farber falls to 31-14-5 (13). Next on the agenda is the CBU WW title matchup between titleholder Jack McNamee, an Aussie, and British challenger Ernie Roderick, the reigning GBU WW Champion. Third meeting of the two, with each man having recorded a points win in their prior encounters. McNamee boasts a four-bout winning streak, including a title win over Roderick in Aussie land earlier in 1940, while Roderick is mired in a three-bout losing streak after the biggest win of his career, over ATG WW Jimmy McLarnin (although admittedly McLarnin, near the end of his illustrious career, was a shadow of his former self). The two appear to be evenly matched, with Roderick holding his own through the early rounds, encouraged by the British fight fans here in London. At the midway point, the unofficial scorer has it even (57-57), reflecting the closeness of the bout. In the later rounds, Roderick begins to feel the effects with a rapidly swelling right eye, In round eight, McNamee sustains a cut over his left eye. The bruising battle continues into the later rounds, and McNamee has to deal with a swollen right eye as well as the cut. Sensing the tide turning and his belt slipping away, the Aussie goes all out in the final round but, instead, the cut is reopened and leads to a late stoppage. Roderick is once again CBU WW Champion via a TKO 12. Post-bout records: Roderick, 24-11-3 (7); McNamee, 27-8 (17). A peek at the judges’ cards showed Roderick with a sizable points lead on all three, so McNamee was needing a KO or stoppage to retain the belt anyway. Then, on to the final bout of the evening, and once again, it is the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” Jack Kid Berg, gracing the halls of Harringay Arena, taking on another Brit, Harry Mizler, for the EBU LW crown. The two have met twice before, with Berg winning both times, but no risk to Mizler who will retain his GBU LW title in any case, as he seeks to avenge the prior setbacks while assuming an underdog role. Solid start from Berg, and in round two, he opens a cut under the left eye of Mizler. Mizler does well to keep the bout reasonably close, and, at the halfway point, the unofficial card has Berg with a slim, one-point edge (58-57). In the second half of the bout, Berg continues to work on the cut and gradually wears down Mizler. In the end, Berg retains the belt via a hard fought UD 12 (117-113, 116-114, 116-114) with both men acquitting themselves well. Berg improves to 45-15-5 (14) as a result, while Mizler drops to 23-12-4 (6).

Oct. 26, 1940: The month wraps with a fine card at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The fans are buzzing as the preliminary bouts feature the debut of a much heralded young FW prospect, Willie “Will of the Wisp” Pep. Pep toys with this TC opponent for the first two rounds before hammering away until the ref calls a halt late in round three. TKO 3 for Pep, who is now 1-0 (1) after a very impressive outing; Willie is already booked for a return date at the next card in November. Excitement builds for the co-feature, which has former WBW WW Champ Eddie Dolan, on the comeback trail, taking on veteran Jimmy Leto in a 10-round, non-title affair. Dolan manages to build a solid early points lead with some good defense and counterpunching. However, the unofficial scorer has it even (48-48) at the midway point. A strong showing in rounds six and seven put Dolan back in the driver’s seat, but then Leto comes on strong in round eight to keep the outcome in doubt. No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes to the decision, and – to the surprise of many, Leto takes a UD 10 (97-95, 96-95, 97-94) in what turns out to be his last bout at Prime career stage, taking the measure of the former Champion but winning all three of the last rounds from all three judges. Post-bout career records: 41-19-7 (12) for Leto; 32-8-4 (14) for Dolan, who was punished for being excessively passive in the final few rounds. Then, in the second co-feature, the USBA LH title is on the line, with Archie Moore defending against Lloyd Marshall. The two are familiar foes; in two prior bouts, the two men fought to a draw, and Moore handed Marshall his only loss thus far in this career (via a UD). The bout doesn’t last long as a clash of heads in round two causes a severe gash to start spurting blood into Marshall’s left eye. An immediate halt is ordered, and the bout is ruled a technical draw. Moore retains his title, and the third draw of his career leaves him at 19-1-3 (15) overall. Marshall, who is hoping for another title shot soon, must wait to the cut to heal, with his career mark now at 19-1-2 (19).

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 48 bouts taking place during the first half of November 1940. Not a large number of bouts this time, but two big WBA title bouts (a total of five for the entire month), so quality, not necessarily quantity …

At this point I should probably interject a comment given the calendar for the replay has moved into the War years (specifically, World War II). I haven’t tried to make it a major factor, except for things like – you won’t see a British fighter appearing in Germany or a German fighter in England, but they might meet up somewhere on neutral turf far away from a war zone (i.e. Cuba, Mexico or South Africa, for example).

Nov. 1, 1940: The month kicks off with a Friday night card at the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. No titles at stake, and topping a relatively thin card is a clash between two ranked LHs: “Irish” Jimmy Webb and Ray “Excelsior Assassin” Actis. First meeting of the two, and – after a long feeling-out process – Webb has the upper hand. Solid points edge for Webb (50-45, on the unofficial card) at the midway point, plus Actis is suffering from the effects of a rapidly swelling left eye. Actis tries to use his power punching to advantage, but Webb’s defense remains solid. No knockdowns, and Actis suffers a split lip in the ninth round. In the end, it’s a UD 10 for Webb by a substantial margin (99-91, 100-91, 100-91). Post-bout career marks: Webb, 21-4-1 (9); Actis, 27-13 (23). With Actis at Post-Prime, no surprise at the lopsided result.

Nov. 2, 1940: Next fistic action is at Havana’s Gran Stadium. No titles at stake, and the main event offers an intriguing matchup involving Cuban favorite Kid Chocolate, an aging vet attempting to rebound from the loss of the WBA FW crown, as he faces Brit Frank Parkes, reigning GBU FW Champion who has also held the CBU and EBU titles. First meeting of the two. Good opening few rounds from Chocolate, who is the more aggressive of the two in the early going. The “Cuban Bon Bon” ‘s persistence pays off, and he is rewarded with a solid early points lead (50-46, on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. Trailing badly, Parkes also runs low on energy in the later rounds and, aside from a hook to the head that momentarily stuns Chocolate in round eight, the Brit is unable to mount a rally. No cuts or KDs, and Chocolate goes on to take a UD 10 (97-95, 98-94, 98-95) to push his career totals to 40-9-7 (17). The loss drops Parkes, who still has the GBU FW title to fall back on, to 24-6-1 (14).

Nov. 8, 1940: It’s North of the border for an abbreviated Friday night card at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Featured is a non-title bout between two LW contenders, American Al Roth and South African Laurie Stevens. Slight upper hand in the early going to Stevens, who is the more aggressive of the two. Roth shows signs of swelling around his left eye; solid points lead for Stevens (50-45, on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. As the bout wears on, Roth, trailing, tries to get more aggressive, but he cannot mount an effective rally. One-sided UD 10 for Stevens (98-91, 95-94, 98-91) who runs his career record to 27-7-1 (18), while the loss drops Roth, who will hit Post-Prime in his next outing, to 35-10-1 (12).

Nov. 9, 1940: Next it’s South of the Border for a huge card at Mexico City, topped by a WBA title matchup. In the first of two co-features, USBA WW titleholder Izzy Jannazzo tests himself against his EBU counterpart, the wily veteran Gustav Eder. First meeting of the two, and it’s a 10-round, non-title affair. After a slow start in the first two rounds, Jannazzo comes on strong with a big round in round three. After another good round for Jannazzo, Eder has the best of the inside exchanges in round five, and the German holds a narrow points edge (48-47) at the halfway point. Jannazzo bounces back with a strong round six, and Eder is beginning to feel the effects from a rapidly swelling left eye. Eder steps up the pace in the later rounds, but Jannazzo, with a huge punches landed edge, appears to have matters well in hand. However, to the shock of many obervers, who had Jannazzo ahead on points, the judges call it a majority draw (95-95, 96-94 Eder, 95-95), with one judge actually having Eder as the victor – even though the punches landed stat favored Jannazzo by a wide margin. With rumors of a rematch in 1941, the two combatants exit the ring with the following post-bout career marks: Jannazzo, 31-4-3 (13); Eder, 35-9-10 (9). Next up is a meeting of two familiar foes, LABF BW Champ Sixto Escobar and Panama Al Brown, with on the comeback trail after recently being dethroned as WBA BW Champion; the tally in five prior meetings heavily favors Brown (four wins, one draw) although, this time around, both men have hit Post-Prime career stage, so the aging factor could play a role. In the opening stanza, Brown takes charge, rocking Escobar with a hard left hook. Escobar tries to cover up, but to little avail as Panama Al continues to hammer away, pounding Escobar into submission until a halt is called before the end of the opening stanza. TKO 1 for Brown, and the second straight win on the comeback trail boosts his already impressive career totals to 64-11-1 (24) and, once again, Brown has the LABF BW belt. For Escobar, now 31-11-3 (10), it is his fourth consecutive loss, as well as the loss of a title he has held off and on since 1935. Finally, the crowd is restless for the main event, featuring WBA FW Champ Baby Arizmendi before an adoring home crowd as he takes on challenger Tsuneo “Piston” Horiguchi, the reigning OPBF FW Champion. No prior meetings, but Arizmendi is on a four-bout winning streak, while Horiguchi has looked impressive in winning his last three to set up this title challenge. In fact, Horiguchi goes down as the first Japanese fighter to earn a WBA title shot in any division. After a pedestrian opening round, the Japanese challenger surprises Arizmendi when he decks the Champ with a big shot near the end of round two. Arizmendi takes time to recover, arising as the count reaches nine. Horiguchi continues to press the action, but Arizmendi gradually works his back into the fight. After five, the unofficial scorer at ringside scores the bout even (47-all) and the Mexican Champ appears to have stabilized the situation. However, Horiguchi continues to land some telling shots, to the extent that, by the end of round six, there is puffiness around both eyes of Arizmendi. Horiguchi continues to press with a strong inside attack, and Arizmendi appears to be suffering from an energy deficit as the bout heads into the later rounds. Then, in round nine, more trouble for the Mexican Champion as he sustains a cut over his right eye. After 10, the unofficial scorer has Horiguchi, the challenger, with a solid points lead (97-93). However, the punches landed stats favor Arizmendi, who is cheered on by a knowledgeable and nervous hometown crowd here in Mexico City. The pace slows in the later rounds, as Arizmendi is obviously tired while Horiguchi has become more cautious in his approach. Not much to choose between the two in the last five rounds, but of course, several close rounds could favor the Champion. The cut over Arizmendi’s eye is reopened in round 14, but it is quickly patched up by the corner and is not a factor as the bout goes to decision. After a long wait, the cards are read, and Arizmendi – who managed to take the final two rounds – is able to secure a draw (141-143, 1431-141, 142-142) to keep the belt, as Horiguchi needed to keep up the pressure a bit longer instead of resting on the earlier knockdown and the strong middle rounds. Arizmendi ends up the bout at 42-9-3 (11), while the draw leaves Horiguchi at 27-7-1 (15) as he fell just short of lifting the belt in a game effort. Possible Fight of the Year candidate and, had Horiguchi won, it certainly would have been a strong contender for Upset of the Year.

Nov. 9, 1940: Another WBA title clash is in the offing, headlining a card at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Main support is a USBA LW title bout, with Davey Day defending versus challenger Lefty Satan Flynn. Flynn has won his last four and has gone unbeaten since 1938 to set up his first title challenge of any kind; for Day, who is riding a six-bout winning streak, it is his first title defense and first meeting with “His Satanic Majesty.” Not much action until round four, when Flynn rocks Day with a sharp combination, but then Flynn is called for repeated low blows and deducted a point as a result. Nonetheless, it’s a solid points lead for Flynn (59-55 on the unofficial card) at the midway point of the bout. Feeling the title on the verge of slipping away, Day steps up the pace as the bout heads into the later rounds. The bout goes the distance, and Day’s late surge enables him to secure a draw (114-114 on all three cards), enabling him to keep the belt. Post-bout career records: Day, 32-5-4 (13); Flynn, 26-7-2 (13). For his next bout, in 1941, Day will be at Post-Prime, while it was question whether Flynn, being from Jamaica, was eligible to hold a USBA title belt in the first place. Anyway, preliminaries out of the way, the final bout of the evening, has three-division WBA Champ Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong facing top contender, Jimmy “Mud Flats” Garrison, the reigning NABF WW Champion, for Armstrong’s WBA WW title. Garrison does well to keep the bout close for the first few rounds, then Armstrong manages to pull ahead with a big round four, the rocks Garrison with some solid shots in round five, enabling Armstrong to forge a solid points lead (50-46 on the unofficial card) after five. By the end of round 10, Garrison is sporting a rapidly swelling right eye, and Armstrong continues to hold a solid points edge (98-94 on the unofficial card). Nearing the end of the bout, Armstrong gradually wears down his opponent, decking Garrison in round 14 with a big shot that puts the game challenger down and out. KO 14 for Armstrong in another impressive performance, running his career record to 34-4-3 (28). The loss leaves Garrison at 26-4-3 (2). After the win, Armstrong is once again contemplating a move up to challenge for the MW title, going for a record fourth WBA title in a fourth division.

Nov. 15, 1940: The Sportpalast in Berlin is the setting for a Friday night card, and featured is former WBA HW Champion Max Schmeling, “the Black Uhlan,” who – unable to arrange another WBA title matchup with Joe Louis – has to settle for an EBU HW title defense against countryman Erwin Klein. Schmeling enters the bout confident of victory, having scored a two-round KO over Klein the year before. This time, Klein manages to survive the opening two rounds, but then Schmeling moves inside and scores well in round three, causing some puffiness around the right eye of Klein. Another big round in round five, yet Klein manages to remain upright despite being on the receiving end of more punishing blows from Schmeling. Huge points lead for Schmeling (60-54, on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. The end comes in round 10, after Schmeling decks Klein with a big cross, then follows up with an uppercut for a second KD, leading to a stoppage. TKO 10 for Schmeling, who improves to 53-6-1 (37) with his third successful defense of the EBU title he won in late 1939. The loss drops Klein to 23-6-1 (9).

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 62 bouts taking place during the second half of November 1940. Three (!) WBA title bouts are included.

Nov. 16, 1940: Next card is at Seattle’s Sicks Stadium. Topping the agenda is an NABF title clash, preceded by a non-title matchup of two ranked WW contenders: King Tut and Freddie Cochrane. First meeting of the two, and Cochrane is coming off a pair of close matchups for the USBA WW title bout with Izzy Jannazzo (one a draw, another a close split decision loss). Cochrane starts well, piling up points, and the unofficial card shows a large lead (50-46) for Cochrane at the midway point. Second half of the bout, and Tut – now at Post-Prime career stage – offers little resistance. Cochrane goes on to take a UD 10 (97-94, 98-93, 97-94) to run his career record to 25-6-4 (8). The loss drops Tut to 34-19-4 (13). Then, in the main event, Jackie Wilson takes on Georgie Hansford for Hansford’s NABF FW title. Each man has recorded a win in two prior meetings, making this the rubber match. Good effort by the challenger, Wilson, who manages to cause a mouse to form around the right eye of Hansford after just four rounds. However, Hansford manages to forge a solid points edge (59-55 on the unofficial card) at the midway point. Both men tire badly down the stretch, and Hansford manages to remain active, causing a mouse to form under the right eye of the challenger in the later rounds. The bout goes to the final round, with Wilson dropping Hansford with a combination in the final round. The late surge by Wilson is just enough to turn the bout around and lift the belt, via a MD 12 (115-112, 114-114, 114-113). Post-bout career marks: Wilson, 35-16-1 (9); Hansford, 30-11-1 (11).

Nov. 22, 1940: To the Far East for a Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. At stake in the main event is the OPBF BW title, and it’s a rematch involving two Filipino fighters and two familiar foes, Little Pancho (defending the belt) and Pablo Dano (the challenger). The duo has met three times previously, with each man taking a win, a draw, and a loss, with the most recent meeting (two years before) resulting in a TKO win for Pancho. This time around, Dano seizes the upper hand when he scores with a big cross near the end of round three, forcing Pancho to cover up. Dano goes on to compile a solid points lead (59-55 on the unofficial card) at the midway point. Determined to keep the belt he has held since 1937, Pancho steps up the pace as the bout heads into the later rounds. In the end, however, the bout goes the distance, and Dano’s early lead holds up as the takes the title via a UD 12 (116-113, 116-113, 118-112). The win lifts Dano to 38-13-5 (16), while Pancho, who surrenders the belt after making seven successful defenses, ends the bout at 40-10-5 (9).

Nov. 23, 1940: Next on the agenda is a card at New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena. A pair of LW bouts headline the action; the feature is for the WBA title, once again held by the veteran “Roman Warrior,” Tony Canzoneri. In the co-feature, Pedro Montanez and Tony Chavez – both ranked among the top five LW contenders – take to the ring. Montanez holds a prior win, in late 1938, for the LABF LW title he still holds, but for which Chavez – as a U. S. fighter – is no longer considered eligible; thus, the rematch will be a 10-round, non-title contest. The bout remains very close through the first five rounds (with a slight edge to Montanez, 48-47, on the unofficial card). As the bout wears on, it is Chavez who shows greater stamina, and Montanez – now at Post-Prime, shows the effects as some puffiness appears around his left eye. In the end, the UD 10 goes to Chavez (97-94, 97-93, 96-94), taking four of the last five rounds to dominate the second half of the bout. Post-bout career marks: 30-9-2 (12) for Chavez; 34-9 (16) for Montanez. After this, it is time for the main event, as Tony Canzoneri defends his WBA LW title against top contender and reigning NABF LW Champ Lou “Herkimer Hurricane” Ambers, who has fallen just short in two prior efforts versus Canzoneri: one, a draw in 1938, then a UD loss earlier in 1940. However, the fact that Canzoneri is at Post-Prime gives Ambers some hope at unseating the man who reigned as WBA LW Champion for seven years, from 1932 through 1939. Solid start from Canzoneri, with Ambers on the defensive for most of the first half of the bout. After five, the unofficial scorer has Canzoneri well ahead on points (by a count of 49-47). Good action in round eight, and both men come away bruised and bloodied: Canzoneri, with a cut over his left eye, and Ambers, who has a rapidly swelling left eye. At the two-thirds point, the unofficial card still has the Champ ahead (by a count of 98-95), and Ambers – still hoping to take advantage of the cut – despite tiring badly in the final few rounds. The cut is re-opened in round 12, but cornerwork from Frank “Doc” Bagley keeps matters under control After a bruising battle, the bout goes the distance, with Canzoneri emerging as the victor, again via a UD 15 (145-141, 146-140. 145-141) to run his career totals to 52-5-4 (17). For Ambers, who will hit Post-Prime with his next bout in early 1941, the loss drops him to 33-4-1 (18), and a disappointing loss as it may have been his last best shot at capturing the WBA LW crown. Chavez, winner of the co-feature, is pressing his claim for a WBA title shot, as is Jack Kid Berg, British CBU and EBU LW Champ, who will move up to #1 contender status due to Amber’s loss in the title rematch with Canzoneri.

Nov. 29, 1940: Next is a Friday night card at Pittsburgh. One preliminary match is the debut of the “Cincinnati Cobra,” LH Ezzard Charles, in a scheduled four-rounder. Charles takes less than three minutes to bring the bout to conclusion, overwhelming his TC opponent with his boxing skills to take a first round TKO win. Frankly, the rest of the card is rather pedestrian – no title fights, and the main event pairs two HWs ranked outside the top 10 in a non-title affair: former NABF HW Champ Nathan Mann, a recent WBA title match KO victim of the great Joe Louis, and Natie Brown, who in over 50 bouts has yet to fight for a title, despite reaching his all-time high ranking after a surprise TKO win over Joe Banovic. Good example of the prototypical “crossroads” bout, where the winner could be set for a big opportunity or a big move up the ranks in the talented HW division. First meeting of the two, and – literally – first blood to Mann, who opens up a cut over Brown’s right eye as well as causing some puffiness around Brown’s left eye. At the midway point, the unofficial card has Mann well ahead on points (by a count of 49-46). Brown, trailing, tries gamely to battle back but is low on stamina and is dropped in the eighth round by a cross to the head from Mann. The bout lasts one more round, before the cut over Brown’s eye is re-opened, leading to an immediate stoppage – without much protest from Brown’s corner. TKO 9 for Mann, who was well ahead on points, and improves to 23-6-2 (18) with the win. The loss drops Brown to 31-15-6 (10).

Nov. 30, 1940: Twin title bouts top the next card, back in the UK at London’s venerable Harringay Arena. In the first of these, the Commonwealth Fly title is at stake, with Benny Lynch, now at Post-Prime career stage, defending against a first time title challenger, Ireland’s Rinty Monaghan. Monaghan has impressed with seven straight wins to run his record to 26-4, setting up his first time meeting with Lynch, but many feel Monaghan may be over his head against such quality opposition. Monaghan gives a good accounting of himself in the opening rounds, keeping the bout close and Lynch off balance with a variety of punches. At the midway point, the challenger even has a slight lead (58-56, on the unofficial card). Beginning in round seven, Lynch’s corner has to deal with a rapidly swelling right eye. The pace drops significantly in the later rounds, as both men begin to show signs of fatigue. In round eight, a sharp uppercut from Lynch rips open a gash over the right eye of the challenger. The cut proves to be a difficult one for Monaghan’s corner, and Lynch tries to take advantage. The bout remains close into the later rounds, but in round 11, the cut decides it – being reopened, it results in an immediate stoppage despite howls of protest from Monaghan’s corner. It goes down as a TKO 11 for Lynch, who improves to 33-10 (17) with the win. Monagahan drops to 26-5 (11) with the loss. In the final bout on the card, long-time GBU MW Champion Jock McAvoy takes on challenger Dick Turpin, a youngster still at Pre-Prime career stage. A hard cross from McAvoy in the opening stanza rocks Turpin. Turpin covers up and lasts the round, but he begins to show the effects as a mouse forms around his left eye. Undaunted, Turpin continues to press the action but is felled by a McAvoy hook midway through round three. After taking an eight count, Turpin scrambles to his feet, again lasting the round, but the damage was done. Then, in round five, another onslaught from McAvoy and a second trip to the canvas for the challenger – courtesy of a McAvoy combination -- and Turpin’s corner is ready to throw in the towel. The ref steps in to save the challenger from further punishment, and the bout goes in the books as a TKO 5 win for McAvoy. Post-bout marks: McAvoy, 34-15-5 (23); Turpin, 17-2 (8).

Nov. 30, 1940: The month wraps with a big card at the Polo Grounds in New York City, headlined by a WBA HW title bout with Joe Louis once again defending that crown. On the uncard, Willie “Will o the Wisp” Pep runs his record to 2-0 (1), going the distance to register a solid UD 4 versus a stubborn TC opponent. Then, with a twin bill of WBA title bouts topping the agenda, the main support was a non-title contest matching two young MW contenders, Freddie Apostoli, the “Boxing Bellhop,” and Georgie Abrams. Action heats up early, as less than two minutes in, Apostoli rocks Abrams with a sharp combination; Abrams remains upright, and wisely covers up to last the round without further damage although, by the end of the round, a mouse has formed under his left eye. After the poor start, Abrams bounces back quickly and makes it difficult for Apostoli to make further progress. In fact, at the halfway point, the unofficial card has Abrams in front by a narrow margin (48-47). As the bout heads into the later rounds, the stamina factor enters play, favoring Apostoli. However, a game Abrams takes round nine, leaving the issue in doubt until the final round. Not much to choose between the two, and the end result – a majority draw (95-all from two judges, while a third had it 97-93 for Apostoli) – seems appropriate. Post-bout records: Apostoli, 24-6-2 (20); Abrams, 18-1-2 (9), and there is talk of a possible rematch in early 1941. Then, on to the title action; first, the WBA LH title is on the line, with newly-crowned Cham Gus Lesnevich making his first title defense against first-time title challenger Danny Devlin. First meeting of the two: Devlin, who has won all three of his 1940 outings to set up the title challenge, has been rising steadily up the ranks. After a close pair of opening rounds, Lesnevich moves inside and is the aggressor in round three. This results in a good action round, with more of the heavier blows being landed by the Champion. Then, in round five, a Devlin hook draws blood, opening a cut under the right eye of Lesnevich. Still, Lesnevich holds the points edge (49-47, on the unofficial card) after the first five. In round six, with the cut still oozing blood, Lesnevich connects with a big hook, forcing Devlin to cover up to last the round. However, Lesnevich is unable to follow up, allowing Devlin to hope that the cut eye might decide the bout in his favor. Good cornerwork from Lesnevich’s side keeps the cut under control, and Lesnevich’s points edge widens (to 98-93 on the unofficial card) as the bout enters its later rounds. Then, in round 11, a right cross from Lesnevich draws blood from a gash over the right eye of the challenger. The bruising battle also sees Devlin suffering from a mouse under his right eye as well, and the hard-working Lesnevich walks away with the win – but, surprisingly, one judge saw it for Devlin – so it’s a SD 15 for Lesnevich (147-138, 142-143, 147-139), who seemed headed for a unanimous points win based on the punches landed stats and the unofficial card, but anyway, the second straight SD title win lifts Gus to 30-4-2 (14), while Devlin drops to 32-14-5 (14) after the loss. Then, in the finale, the “Brown Bomber,” Joe Louis, reaches far down the HW ranks to pluck Lou Nova, the “Almeda Assassin,” as his next opponent for the WBA HW title. Louis, ignoring concerns about bypassing higher ranked HWs, goes to work against Nova, getting the challenger’s attention with a straight right in round one. Nova is still there in round two, but he offers little resistance as Louis bangs away until the ref steps in to save Nova from further punishment. TKO 2 for Louis. Another one-sided title defense for Louis, his seventh since regaining the title from Schmeling in early 1939, and only Jersey Joe Walcott among his seven victims has lasted past round two. Post-bout, Louis’ record improves to 33-1 (31). The loss drops Nova to 21-6 (17).

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 52 bouts taking place during the first half of December 1940. No WBA title bouts are included, as there will be a couple later in the month.

Dec. 1, 1940: The month commences with a card at Havana’s Gran Stadium. Topping the agenda is an LABF MW title clash, featuring two familiar foes: Champion Kid Tunero, performing before a welcoming hometown crowd, and Challenger Antonio Fernandez. The two have met three times previously, with Fernandez winning in two of those encounters, but the most recent -- at Caracas back in early 1938 – favored the Cuban. Cautious approach by both men, and the bout remains close through the early going. By the midway point, Fernandez has pulled ahead to a slight lead (58-56 on the unofficial card). In round seven, things begin to turn Tunero’s way, as he rips open a gash over the right eye of the challenger. Although the cut is patched up quickly, Tunero continues to take an aggressive approach, targeting the cut. The bout remains close into the final few rounds, with the hometown crowd rooting heavily for the Cuban titleholder. The cut over Fernandez’s eye is reopened in round 10, but the cut is once patched up quickly, and the Chilean is able to rock Tunero with a quick hook to the head early in round 11. Both men have little left for the final round, and Fernandez hangs on to take a close MD 12 verdict (116-115, 115-115, 116-113) to lift the belt, a decision that is roundly booed by the pro-Tunero crowd. Post-bout career marks: Fernandez, 32-13-3 (12); Tunero, 32-11-5 (10).

Dec. 1, 1940: Next fistic action is back in the States at Chicago. On the undercard is the hot young WW prospect Ray Robinson, who runs his record to a perfect 5-0 (5) with a second round TKO of a TC opponent, his fifth straight opponent who failed to last the first two rounds. Not much of interest remaining on the card until the main event, which matches Sammy “Clutch” Angott with a top 20 LW contender, Canadian Dave Castilloux. First meeting of the two, and the action takes awhile to develop. By round four, Angott is clearly in command, landing some heavy leather and causing puffiness around the left eye of Castilloux. Solid points lead (49-46 on the unofficial card) for Angott at the halfway point, and Castilloux tries to get more aggressive in the later rounds. However, Sammy “the Clutch” remains in control, and he holds on to take a UD 10 (96-94 on all three cards). The win lifts Angott to 20-4-4 (9), while the loss drops Castilloux to 23-8-3 (9).

Dec. 7, 1940: Next is a Friday night card in Miami. No titles at stake on a relatively abbreviated card, but an intriguing main event pairing together two top LH contenders: former WBA Champion Maxie Rosenbloom and former NABF Champ Tony Shucco. Rosenbloom holds two prior wins over Shucco but is now at Post-Prime, while Shucco is attempting to bounce back from the recent loss of his NABF LH title to Billy Conn. Not much in the way of excitement through the first half of the bout, with Rosenbloom doing just enough to forge a solid points lead (49-46 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point of the bout. Shucco, trailing, tries to become more aggressive in the latter stages, but is unable to pentetrate Rosenbloom’s defenses. The bout goes the distance without any cuts or knockdowns, and the savvy veteran, Rosenbloom, goes to take a UD 10 (96-95, 97-94, 98-93). Post-bout career marks: Rosenbloom, 51-13-6 (18); Shucco, 35-14-1 (11).

Dec. 8, 1940: The venue shifts to Philadelphia for the next fight card. Two bouts of note. In the co-feature, Fritzie Zivic, the “Croat Comet,” faces the higher rated WW contender, Jimmy Leto, a fighter Zivic has defeated in the past, and he is looking to move back up the WW rankings given that Leto has recently hit Post-Prime career stage. In this rematch, Zivic takes charge from the start and has a commanding points lead (50-45 on the unofficial card) by the halfway point. Leto is unable to penetrate Zivic’s defenses, and Zivic goes on to register an impressive UD 10 (98-92, 100-90, 99-91) to improve his standing among WW contenders, while boosting his career record to 27-9-4 (15). Leto falls to 41-20-7 (12) after the loss. Then, in the feature, the NABF LH title is on the line as Roscoe Toles faces reigning USAB HW Champ Jersey Joe Walcott. Walcott is higher ranked than Toles and has won both prior meetings, hoping that adding the NABF HW title might help him in his quest for another title shot at WBA HW Champ Joe Louis. Cautious start by both men, with Walcott pressing forward starting in round three. Good defense and counterpunching result in the third round going to Toles, but Walcott lands some heavy leather in round four, causing some initial bruising around the right eye of Toles. Walcott emerges with a slim points edge (58-57 on the unofficial scorer’s card) at the midway point. Then, in round seven, Walcott drops Toles with an overhand right and then follows with a second KD from a cross to head later in the round. Despite the two KDs, Toles continues to mix and inside and outside attack, while Walcott backs off and becomes less aggressive as the bout wears on. It is not until the final minute of the 12th and final round that Toles breaks through, tagging Walcott with a right hook that sends him against the ropes, but Jersey Joe remains upright as the bout goes the distance. Aided by the two earlier knockdowns (and a 10-8 round in the 7th), Walcott goes on to take a competitive but UD 12 win (116-111, 114-113, 115-112) to claim the NABF HW title. Post-bout records: Walcott, 40-6 (24); Toles, 32-7-3 (6).

Dec. 8, 1940: North of the border for the next card at Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. Only one bout of note, a non-title affair, with veteran Canadian BW Horace Gwynne taking on David Kui Kong Young. First meeting of the two, and Young’s first outing at Prime after compiling an excellent 18-1-1 (14) record in his career thus far. This turns out to be a close bout, but not much in the way of action for the first five rounds which see Young pulling ahead by a narrow margin (48-47) on the unofficial card. Gwynne, who is now at Post-Prime, continues to battle on into the later rounds, buoyed by the support of the hometown crowd. However, Young pulls away in the later rounds, dominating the punches landed stats and taking a solid UD 10 (96-93, 98-92, 97-92) to improve to 19-1-1 (14). Gwynne slips to 26-9-1 (15) with the loss.

Dec. 14, 1940: Next is a Friday night card at the seldom used venue, the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. No title bouts on the agenda, but the feature has reigning Commonwealth and EBU LW Champion Jack Kid Berg, the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” faces long-time LW contender Roger Bernard. First meeting of the two, and Berg quickly gains the upper hand, battering Bernard around his left eye, landing repeatedly until the ref steps in to call a halt late in the third round, with Bernard out on his feet. TKO 3 for Berg, who improves to 46-15-5 (15) with the win. The loss drops Bernard to 38-20-3 (13).

[JCWeb]

This report covers a total of 52 bouts taking place during the second half of December 1940. Two WBA title bouts are included in this period.

Dec. 15, 1940: To the West Coast for a big card at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Excitement is in the air, as a WBA title clash tops the agenda. Main support matches popular HW Max Baer, who faces Leroy Haynes in a 10-round, non-title affair. Haynes, who has spent most of his career at the lower echelons of the HW ranks, has recently managed to fashion a six-bout winning streak to earn the shot against the heavily favored Baer. Not much action in the opening two rounds, but early in round three Haynes manages to stun Baer with a nicely-timed uppercut. Baer covers up but then falls victim to a Haynes combination, going down later in the round but then being saved by the bell. In round four, more trouble for Max as Haynes rips open a cut under the right eye of Baer. Haynes continues on the attack, pummeling Baer until the ref steps in to call a halt. In an upset, the bout goes the way of Haynes via a TKO 4. Post-bout career marks: Haynes, 29-92 (21); Baer, 32-15 (28). This turns out to be Baer’s final bout at Prime career stage. In the finale, the WBA BW title is on the line, as Georgie Pace makes his first defense of the title, taking on fellow American Tommy Forte, the current NABF BW titleholder. Tough test for Pace, as Forte enters the title bout undefeated (with two draws). Some solid boxing in the early rounds appears to give Forte the upper hand. However, in round five, a hook from Pace drops him to the deck, and Forte cannot beat the count. KO 5 for Pace, who improves to 26-8-2 (19) and keeps the belt. For Forte, his first career setback leaves him at 23-1-2 (11).

Dec. 21, 1940: To New Orleans’ Coliseum Arena for the next fistic action. Topping the card is a non-title affair matching two top 10 FWs: Mike Belloise and Petey Sarron. Sarron came out on top in their one prior encounter, but he has since hit Post-Prime career stage, so Belloise has hope of reversing the earlier outcome. After a couple of close opening rounds, Belloise moves inside and does some damage in round three. Sarron continues to hang tough, and the unofficial scorer has the bout even (48-48) at the halfway point. Sarron moves inside and manages to take round seven. The issue remains in doubt into the later rounds, with neither man able to break through with a telling blow. Sarron’s strong finish is enough to enable him to take a close but UD 10 (97-94, 96-95, 96-95). The win lifts Sarron to 38-19-6 (10), while the loss drops Belloise to 26-11-5 (9).

Dec. 22, 1940: Next is a huge card at New York’s Polo Grounds. A WBA title fight tops the agenda, and the “Cincinnati Cobra,” Ezzard Charles and Willie “Will o’ the Wisp” Pep win bouts versus TC opponents, both via TKO stoppages, on the undercard. The first of two main supporting bouts matches two MW contenders: veteran Ken Overlin and Al Hostak. Hostak looks sharp early, and by the end of the second round, there is a trace of puffiness around the right eye of Overlin. Good boxer (Overlin) versus slugger (Hostak) matchup, with the early edge going to the more aggressive fighter, which is Hostak. Hostak has the points lead (50-47 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point. In round seven, Overlin tries to work his way inside, but is dropped by a cross from Hostak. Overlin recovers and resumes after taking an eight count, but the damage is done, and a late surge by Overlin is insufficient as Hostak – who eases up in the last two rounds – takes a MD 10 (97-93, 95-95, 95-94). Post-bout career marks: Hostak, 30-5 (24); Overlin, 37-7-5 (14). Second of the two supporting bouts matches recently dethroned WBA LH Champion Eddie Booker, who faces Melio Bettina in a rematch of their 1938 encounter that resulted in a UD win for Booker. In round two, Booker rips open a cut over Bettina’s right eye. Then, early in round four, Bettina manages to open a less serious looking cut under Booker’s left eye. Later in the round, however, the cut over Bettina’s eye is reopened and – over the protests from Bettina’s corner – the bout is halted, and Booker is awarded a TKO 4 win on the cuts stoppage, lifting his career totals to 24-3 (15), while the loss drops Bettina to 25-5-2 (11) overall. Then, on to the main event, and excitement is in the air as Tony Zale, the “Man of Steel,” current NABF MW Champ and long time top MW contender, finally gets a shot at the WBA MW title held by Teddy Yarosz. Zale has won his last 12 in a row, going unbeaten since early 1937, in preparation for this moment. Close opening round, but Zale ends with a sharp combination that gets Yarosz’s attention. Solid round two from the challenger, and Zale moves inside in round three but cannot find the range – Yarosz’s round. In round four, Zale takes charge, stunning Yarosz with a hard cross. Yarosz covers up to last the round, but there is puffiness around his right eye as a result of the heavy blows landed by Zale. A close but uneventful round five follows, and a peek at the unofficial card has it even (48-all) although this would appear to be somewhat generous to Yarosz as the punches landed appears to favor Zale, the challenger. Good round in round six for Zale. A big lull for the next two rounds (seven and eight) that could have gone either way. Another good round for Zale in round nine. Heading into the final five rounds, the unofficial scorer has Zale in front with a slim one-point margin (96-95). Stamina edge for Zale, who gradually wears his opponent down. Midway through round 13, Yarosz walks into a Zale cross and drops to the canvas. Shaken, he arises at the count of eight, but then Zale decks him for a second time with a combination. There is not enough time to finish, and Yarosz has time to recover in his corner between rounds, although the damage was done. The bout goes the rest of the way without incident and, aided by the pair of late KDs, Zale takes a UD 15 (144-139, 143-140, 144-139) to lift the belt. Post-bout career marks: Zale, 29-2 (20); Yarosz, 36-15-3 (13).

Dec. 26, 1940: Next is the traditional Boxing Day card, held at the Olympia in London, England. Featured are twin title bouts, both of which see British fighters challenging for an EBU title. In the first co-feature, Peter Kane takes on Istvan Enekes for Enekes’ EBU Flyweight title. First meeting of the two. Not much action in the first four rounds, but at the outset of round five, a hard shot from Kane sends Enekes tumbling to the canvas. After barely beating the count, the Hungarian is able to cover up and almost survives the round, until Kane finds the range with a short, clean hook that put Enekes down and out. In a huge upset, KO 5 for Kane who lifts the EBU belt, improving his career record to 22-2-1 (11). Enekes drops to 35-10-1 (10) after the loss. The second British challenger is Jack “Cast Iron” Casey, who takes on the “Casablanca Clouter,” Marcel Cerdan, for Cerdan’s EBU MW title. No prior meetings of the two. Powerful start by Cerdan, who manages to cause a trace of swelling to appear under the right eye of Casey by the end of the opening round. Casey tries his luck on the inside in round three, but he ends up struggling with his timing while providing an inviting target for the French Champion. Cerdan continues banging away, focusing on the injured eye, and in round five, he rips open a cut over Casey’s right eye. Later in the round, a second cut appears under the same eye, and soon thereafter, an immediate stoppage is ordered. Cerdan retains the title via a TKO 5 on the cuts stoppage. Post-bout career records: Cerdan, 27-2-2 (21); Casey, 35-15-5 (21). Another impressive outing for the Frenchman, whose connections are angling for a WBA title matchup with newly crowned WBA MW Champ Tony Zale some time in 1941.

Dec. 30, 1940: South of the border for the next card at Mexico City. Main event pairs the reigning LABF FW Champion, Filio Julian Echevarria, with Frank Parkes, his GBU counterpart. No titles at stake, and it is the first meeting of the two. Bruising battle, and by the end of four rounds, both men have traces of swelling around their right eyes. The unofficial card favors Echevarria (by a count of 49-46) at the midway point. Parkes tries to mount a comeback, but Echevarria’s defense remains solid as he goes on to take a UD 10 (98-92, 96-95, 97-93) to improve his career totals to 38-14-4 (12). Parkes slips to 24-7-1 (14) with the loss.

Dec. 31, 1940: Final card of the year is on New Year’s Eve at the Boston Garden. Headliner matches top LH contender Tiger Jack Fox with lower rated LH Bob Olin. No prior meetings of the two, and Fox is heavily favored as Olin has hit Post-Prime career stage. The bout remains surprisingly close through the early rounds, and the unofficial scorer at ringside has it even (48-48) at the halfway point. Fox holds a slight edge in stamina and punches landed, is landing the heavier leather, but it is not until the final round when he catches Olin with some good shots, leading to a TKO stoppage. TKO 10 for Fox, who improves to 49-6-1 (35) with the win. The loss drops Olin to 33-20-3 (10). Contrary to the unofficial scorer (which had the bout hanging in the balance), all three of the judges had Fox well ahead on points.

[JCWeb]

Time for the first of the year-end reports, starting with the HWs.

HW Title Bouts

WBA: Joe Louis kept on winning, making four successful title defenses during the year, blasting out all his opponents in two rounds or less: Charley Retzlaff (TKO 1), Nathan Mann (TKO 2), Art Lasky (KO 1) and Lou Nova (TKO 2).

NABF: Roscoe Toles began the year with this belt, defending against Art Lasky (UD 12) and Lee Ramage (UD 12). Then, Jersey Joe Walcott defeated Toles (UD 12) to capture the belt.

USBA: Jersey Joe Walcott made one successful defense, versus Abe Simon (TKO 5) before moving up to capture the NABF title. The belt is vacant heading into 1941.

CBU: No title defenses during 1940, and Tommy Martin retains this belt.

GBU: No title action; Tommy Martin remains the titleholder for another year.

EBU: Max Schmeling retains this belt, after making three successful defenses during the year, versus Ludwig Haymann (TKO 4), Tommy Martin (KO 9) and Erwin Klein (TKO 10).

OPBF: This title remains vacant due to inactivity.

LABF: Jimmy Mendes keeps the belt for another year, having defended it once in 1940, versus Eduardo Primo (TKO 1).

HW Division Profile

Total: 182 RL: 103 TC: 79

RL by Career Stage:
End - 9
Post - 27
Prime - 36
Pre - 22
Beginning - 9 (81 New)

Rated: 77
800+: 20
500+: 43
200+ : 675

Jan 1941 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1940 in Parens):

Champ: Joe Louis 33-1 (31) (1870) (NC)
1. Max Schmeling 53-6-1 (37) (1702) (NC) (EBU)
2. Jersey Joe Walcott 40-6 (24) (1490) (NC) (NABF)
3. Roscoe Toles 32-7-3 (6) (1237) (+2)
4. Elmer Ray 44-12 (30) (1193) (NC)
5. Art Lasky 28-10-2 (26) (1115) (+1)
6. Larry Gains 45-20 (25) (1096) (+8)
7. Jimmy Mendes 25-8-2 (15) (1080) (+5)
8. Tommy Martin 25-8-2 (15) (1065) (NC)
9. Tommy Farr 46-16-3 (16) (1053) (NC)
10. Jack Trammell 29-9 (13) (1011) (+7)

Comments: Four of the top 10 contenders (Ray, Lasky, Gains and Mendes) are at Post-Prime career stage; everyone else is still at Prime. Louis racked four more stoppage wins over relatively easy opposition to extend his winning streak to eight. Schmeling has won his last seven, including four in 1940 (a KO of Buddy Baer in addition to three EBU title defenses). Walcott also went undefeated during the year, winning two title bouts and a stoppage of Abe Simon in one non-title affair. Toles had a five-bout winning streak snapped with his most recent outing, losing the NABF title to Walcott while retaining his status as a top five contender. Ray went 2-2 for the year, with KO wins over Jack Peterson and an gaining Tommy Loughran, but falling short in losses to Farr (UD) and Lasky (MD). Lasky’s only win came over Ray as he failed in title attempts versus Louis and Toles. A resurgent Larry Gains appears once again in the top 10, solely as a result of his controversial DQ win over Max Baer; Gains had lost seven straight headed into the bout, including a KO loss to Max’s younger brother, Buddy, earlier in 1940. Mendes, a one-round KO victim of Max Baer, retained his top 10 status by defending his LABF title as well as a one-round blowout win over Simon. The “British Brown Bomber,” Tommy Martin, is next, despite no wins in 1940 (losing the EBU title challenge to Schmeling and only managing a draw versus an aging Loughran). Welshman Tommy Farr is next, despite a subpar 1-2 year, with a UD win over Ray the only bright spot despite losses to Walcott (UD) and Ramage (MD). Jack Trammell rounds out the top 10, rising in the ranks after going 3-0 for the year, wins coming at the expense of Nova (TKO), Risko (KO) and Ramage (UD). The three top 10 dropouts from 1940 were Loughran (retired); Max Baer, down ten spots all the way to #13 after successive losses to Gains (DQ) and Leroy Haynes (TKO); Max is now at Post-Prime and unlikely to be viewed as a serious title threat at this point; and Charley Retzlaff (”Big Charley R”), down eight spots to #18, after going winless in three outings during 1940. Just missing the top 10 is Nathan Mann, who impressed with stoppage wins over Loughran and Natie Brown but fell far short when challenging Louis for the WBA title. Top newcomers to the list are Bill Poland, who debuts at #33 despite his first career loss to Jack London (via a SD) after finishing up the year with a win over veteran journeyman Johnny Risko; his career stats are 16-1-1 (10); Lee Q. Murray, who checks in at #35 after a 15-1 (13) career start, winning all five of his 1940 outings, most recently a one-round KO of aging veteran Jimmy Braddock; and Curtis “Hatchetman” Sheppard, still unbeaten at 14-0-1 (10) – good for #38 spot – with a pair of impressive UD wins over Chuck Crowell and Johnny Shkor to his credit.

Prospects: Not a tremendous amount of exciting prospects at this point. Tommy Gomez has remained perfect, at 11-0 (11), after recording a TKO win over Harry Bobo after a series of easy TC wins. Joe Baksi and Tami Mauriello are of to excellent starts both with identical 5-0 (4) records heading into 1941.

Retirements: Eight HWs retired in 1940, including Tommy Loughran whose career stats will be referenced in the LH division.

Corn Griffin (USA) 1930-40 21-16-2 (12) No Titles Highest Rank: 57
Charley Boyette (USA) 1927-40 25-21-5 (10) No Titles Highest Rank: 62
Pierre Charles (BEL) 1922-40 44-25-4 (31) No Titles Highest Rank: 12
Jack Peterson (UK) 1931-40 29-12 (18) EBU, GBU Champ Highest Rank: 15
Herman Weiner (USA) 1928-40 30-20 (25) No Titles Highest Rank: 31
Roberto Roberti (ITA) 1920-40 32-23-3 (23) No Titles Highest Rank: 34
James Braddock (USA) 1926-40 32-25-3 (16) No Titles Highest Rank: 11

Looking Ahead: Schmeling and Walcott are the only two HWs in the same class as Louis, who appears to be in the midst of a long title reign. No new prospects on the horizon, and second-rate guys like Ramage, Simon and Nova may be contending for a USBA title and top 10 status. Best of the eight newcomers is the hard-hitting Cuban fighter, Nino Valdes, bit he’s only rated a “6.”

[JCWeb]

LH Title Bouts

WBA: Four title bouts, and the title changed hands in three of them. First, John Henry Lewis took the title from Adolf Heuser (TKO 9). Then, Eddie Booker dethroned Lewis (UD 15). Finally, Gus Lesnevich captured the title from Booker (UD 15) and defended successfully against Danny Devlin (SD 15).

NABF: Tony Shucco began the year with the belt, making successful defenses versus Gus Lesnevich (DQ 12), Billy Conn (UD 12), Lesnevich (D 12) and Joe Knight (UD 12). Then, in a rematch, Billy Conn defeated Shucco (SD 12).

USBA: Eddie Booker began the year with this title, but he lost it to Al Gainer (UD 12). Gainer then defended versus Tiger Jack Fox (KO 4) before losing the belt to Archie Moore (TKO 7). Moore then defended versus Lloyd Marshall (TD 2).

CBU: Charley Belanger retains the belt for another year, despite no title defenses since winning it in 1937.

GBU: Freddie Mills captured the title from Bert Gilroy (UD 12).

EBU: This title (vacant since 1939 after Adolf Heuser won the WBA title) was claimed by Heinz Lazek, who bested Gustave Roth (UD 12) for the vacant belt.

OPBF: Inactive for this division.

LABF: Inactive for this division.

LH Division Profile

Total: 111 RL: 64 TC: 47

RL by Career Stage:
End - 6
Post - 18
Prime - 27
Pre - 9
Beginning - 10 (7 New)

Rated: 45
800+: 17
500+: 30
200+ : 43

Jan 1941 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1940 in Parens):

Champ: Gus Lesnevich 30-4-2 (14) (1301) (+4)
1. Maxie Rosenbloom 51-13-6 (18) (1538) (NC)
2. Billy Conn 25-3-2 (11) (1300) (+3) (NABF)
3. Tony Shucco 35-14-1 (11) (1259) (NC)
4. Tiger Jack Fox 49-6-1 (35) (1232) (-2)
5. Eddie Booker 24-3 (15) (1147) (+1)
6. John Henry Lewis 26-8-3 (19) (1141) (+2)
7. Al Gainer 28-8-1 (18) (1079) (+4)
8. Archie Moore 19-1-3 (15) (1072) (+5) (NABF)
9. Freddie Mills 20-1 (13) (955) (+11) (GBU)
10. Adolf Heuser 35-10-1 (17) (954) (-10)

Others: 17. Charley Belanger 43-24 (20) (769) (-10) (CBU)
36. Heinz Lazek 31-9 (21) (349) (-17) (EBU)

Comments: Rosenbloom, Lewis, Gainer and Belanger at Post; everyone else still at Prime. Lesnevich battled back from a tough DQ loss to Shucco to capture the WBA title and defend it in a couple of close SD 15 bouts. Aging has not seemed to affect Rosenbloom, who won all three of his 1940 outings, a SD over Booker and UD wins versus Shucco and Tommy Tucker, all in non-title contests. Billy Conn rebounded from consecutive losses in title bouts with a pair of UD wins over Lazek and Bob Olin before stepping up to capture the NABF belt in a rematch with Shucco. Shucco ended the year on a down note, dropping a UD to the crafty Rosenbloom after two wins, one loss and one draw, all in title bouts. Fox had a disappointing year, falling to Al Gainer in his one title try, barely getting past Melio Bettina (SD) but recovering with TKO stoppages of Silvers and Olin. Booker went 3-2 for the year, struggling in title bouts (winning one of three) but blasted out Ray Actis in one round and stopped Bettina in his most recent outing to retain a top five ranking. A resurgent John Henry Lewis managed to battle the effects of aging to regain the WBA title, then lost it; he went 2-1 for the year, scoring an early 1940 UD win over Fred Lenhart to set up the title challenge. Gainer surprised with a KO over Fox; he also went 2-1 for the year, all in title bouts. Moore rode the crest of a six-bout winning streak to attain top 10 status, aided by an early season UD over Charley Belanger to set up the successful USBA title challenge. Freddie Mills continued a rapid rise up the ranks with UD wins over ex-Champs Harvey and Heuser in addition to capturing the GBU title; Mills has now won his last eight in a row and remains unbeaten since his only career loss, back in 1938. Heuser, a loser in his only two 1940 outings, rounds out the top 10, having fallen all the way from the lofty perch of WBA titleholder a year ago. Top 10 dropouts from last year include Melio Bettina, down one spot to #11 after winning only one of his three 1940 outings; Pal Silvers, down five to #15 after going winless(one draw, three losses) in his last four; and Charley Belanger, long-time CBU titleholder who dropped from #7 down to #17 after losses to Jimmy Webb (UD) and Joe Knight (KO). Lazek, the new EBU Champion, tumbled down the rankings after a surprising TKO loss to lightly-regarded Rinaldo Palmucci in a non-title affair (Palmucci’s ranking was too low for him to be considered as a possible title challenger). Top newcomer to the rankings is Harry Matthews, who debuts at #20 after a perfect 16-0 (14) career start; his 1940 victims included Dave Clark (TKO) and Tommy Tucker (UD).

Prospects: Aussie Jack A. Johnson remains unbeaten, now 14-0 (11), albeit mainly against TC opposition. Jack Coggins conceded a draw in his most recent outing, versus aging veteran Mike Mandell, and he checks in at 13-0-1 (11). Jimmy Reeves, 12-0 (11) and Booker Beckwith, 10-0 (9) have kept clean slates as well. Ezzard Charles, 2-0 (2); Oakland Billy Smith, 1-0 (1); and Tommy Yarosz, 1-0 (1) are off to excellent career starts.

Retirements: Six retirements during 1940, notably all-time great Tommy Loughran, whose career spanned 22 years.

Young Firpo (USA) 1924-40 31-25-5 (17) NABF, USBA Champion Highest Rank: 3
Norman Conrad (USA) 1930-40 22-14-2 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 27
Abie Bain (USA) 1923-40 30-32-2 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 49
Jimmy Adamick (USA) 1933-40 23-13-1 (21) No Titles Highest Rank: 5
Tommy Loughran (USA) 1919-40 64-16-5 (20) WBA Champion 1926-33
Tiger Jack Payne (USA) 1924-40 34-30 (10) NABF Champion Highest Rank: 12

Looking Ahead: The situation at the top of the LH ranks remains fairly fluid, with some younger guys (like Moore and Mills) moving up to challenge veterans like Shucco, Fox and Rosenbloom, who still remains a viable contender. Lesnevich’s tenure at the top seems tenuous, as Billy Conn seems intent on regaining the WBA title. Look for Mills to challenge for another title, either the Commonwealth or EBU belt, or both. Looking ahead, Joey Maxim is the best of the incoming group, while Ezzard Charles is the best of the young prospects, although he might be tempted to move up to HW in the next few years.

[JCWeb]

MW Title Bouts

WBA: Freddie Steele, who had held the title since 1938, made two successful defenses, versus Lou Brouillard (KO 5) and Henry Armstrong (TKO 5), then lost the title to Teddy Yarosz (TKO 1). Then, Tony Zale took the title from Yarosz (UD 15).

NABF: Tony Zale began the year with the belt, and he defended it successfully versus Allen Matthews (UD 12) before moving up to successfully challenge for the WBA title. Thus, the belt is vacant heading into 1941.

USBA: Holman Williams captured this title, dethroning Johnny Romero (TKO 12). Williams then defended versus Ken Overlin (UD 12).

CBU: Lou Brouillard kept this belt for another year, making one successful title defense versus Fred Henneberry (UD 12).

GBU: Jock McAvoy began the year with the belt and defended it twice, defeating Arthur Sadd (TKO 11) and Dick Turpin (TKO 5).

EBU: Three more successful title defenses by Marcel Cerdan, winning over Edouard Tenet (TKO 5), Jupp Besselmann (TKO 12) and Jack Casey (TKO 5).

OPBF: Fred Henneberry retained the title for another year but made no defenses during 1940.

LABF: This title changed hands, as Antonio Fernandez captured the belt from Kid Tunero (MD 12).

MW Division Profile

Total: 143 RL: 82 TC: 61

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 16
Prime - 30
Pre - 19
Beginning - 9 (8 New)

Rated: 60
800+: 24
500+: 41
200+ : 57

Jan 1941 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1940 in Parens):

Champ: Tony Zale 29-2 (20) (1580) (+1)
1. Holman Williams 33-6 (20) (1487) (+1) (USBA)
2. Freddie Steele 47-7-1 (31) (1369) (-2)
3. Teddy Yarosz 36-15-3 (13) (1326) (+18)
4. Marcel Cerdan 27-2-2 (21) (1318) (-1) (EBU)
5. Charley Burley 22-1 (20) (1071) (+9)
6. Lou Brouillard 32-13-3 (14) (1070) (NC) (CBU)
7. Al Hostak 30-5 (24) (1058) (+13)
8. Ken Overlin 37-7-5 (14) (1057) (-4)
9. Johnny Romero 38-16 (24) (1039) (-4)
10. Ben Brown 25-4-1 (15) (1031) (+5)

Others: 11. Antonio Fernandez 32-12-3 (12) (1007) (+1) (LABF)
14. Jock McAvoy 34-15-5 (23) (935) (-1) (GBU)
25. Fred Henneberry 30-15-2 (12) (780) (-9) (OPBF)

Comments: All those listed at Prime except for Steele, Brouillard, Romero and Henneberry who will be at Post-Prime entering 1941. The “Man of Steel,” Tony Zale, has fashioned a 13-bout winning streak going back to 1937, adding two title bout wins in 1940 after a UD over Henneberry. Williams, who also defeated Henneberry, is now the #1 contender after six straight wins, four in 1940, including a MD over Apostoli in a non-title affair in addition to two USBA title bout triumphs. Steele’s WBA title bout loss ended a 10-bout winning streak that extended back to 1937. Yarosz zoomed up the ratings after his surprising one-round stoppage of Steele to capture the WBA belt. Earlier in the year, he had recorded wins over Aaron Wade (via TKO) and Gorilla Jones (UD) to set up the title shot. Cerdan went 3-0 for the year, all in EBU title defenses, to retain his top contender status. Burley rose up the ranks by virtue of a TKO win over Brouillard; he also stopped Aussie vet Ron Richards in his only other 1940 outing. Brouillard went 1-2 for the year, his only success in the title defense versus Henneberry, losing to Burley and also Steele in a WBA title clash. Hostak won three of four during the year, zooming up the ranks after a MD over Overlin in his most recent outing; his one loss during the year coming at the hands of Brown (via UD). Overlin went 2-2 for the year, impressing with a TKO over Romero and also a UD versus Fernandez; losses came at the hands of Hostak (MD) and Williams (UD in a USBA title bout). Romero slid down the ranks after losses to Williams and Overlin; he carries a three-bout losing streak into 1941. Brown, who has won his last eight, has steadily moved up the ranks to reach top 10 contender status for the first time; his 1940 victims included Eddie Risko, Jack Casey and Hostak (all via UD). Fernandez just missed the top 10 after capturing the LABF belt; he also took a UD over Solly Krieger, recovering from an early season loss to Overlin. Top 10 dropouts from last year include Freddie Apostoli, down four spots to #12 after a SD loss to Tunero; Ron Richards, down eight spots to #15 after losing both of his 1940 outings, to Burley and Apostoli; Hein Domgorgen, who was #10 but retired during the year; and Cuban Kid Tunero, down seven spots to #16 after losing his last two, to Hostak and then Fernandez for the LABF title. McAvoy, who managed to retain the GBU title for another year, struggled otherwise, dropping a SD to Solly Krieger. OPBF Champ Henneberry lost all three of his 1940 encounters to tumble outside the top 20. Top newcomer to the rankings is Steve Belloise, now a perfect 15-0 (9) after four more wins in 1940, including a SD over Freddie Cabral and UDs versus Ernie Vigh and Ossie Stewart; he debuts at #27. Vigh checks in at #38 after a 14-1 (12) career start, with stoppage wins over Barney Keiswetter and Paul Lewis as part of his 1940 campaign, somewhat offsetting the effect of his only loss to Belloise. Highly touted prospect Billy Soose has struggled early in his career, but finished well with UD wins over Al Trulmans and Jackie Aldare to end the year at 15-3-1 (10), good for 41st spot in the year-end rankings.

Prospects: Brit Tommy Davies has compiled a 12-0 (5) record thus far, scoring a UD 10 over journeyman Archie Sexton after feasting on TC opposition. Frenchman Jean Despeaux has struggled to two recent draws after earlier success versus TC opposition; his career totals are 10-0-2 (3) headed into 1941. Shorty Hogue, 11-0 (9); Cecil Hudson, 11-0 (6); and Argentina’s Raul Rodriguez, 10-0 (9) have maintained clean slates thus far. Herbie Kronowitz, 5-0 (3) and Jimmy Edgar, 4-0 (3) got their careers off to good starts, while Brit Vince Hawkins recovered from an inauspicious debut to go 4-1 (2) for the year, all versus TCs.

Retirements:

Six retirements from the MW ranks during the year.

Hein Domgorgen (GER) 1922-40 44-22-2 (22) EBU Champion Highest Rank: 2
Tait Littman (USA) 1928-40 29-14-2 (19) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 13
Ad Zachow (USA) 1926-40 32-24-1 (24) No Titles Highest Rank: 22
Vince Dundee (USA) 1923-40 22-22-4 (18) WBA Champion 1935 Highest Rank: 2
Archie Sexton (UK) 1927-40 29-24-4 (15) No Titles Highest Rank: 56
Ambrose Palmer (AUS) 1929-40 30-19-1 (7) CBU, OPBF Champion Highest Rank: 3

Looking Ahead: Zale appears to be the class of the division right now, although guys like Williams, Burley and Cerdan all have the ability to contend for the title. Look for Jack Casey to perhaps take on Brouillard for the latter’s CBU title. Jake LaMotta and Aussie Dave Sands head up a solid crop of eight newcomers set to join the MW ranks in 1941.

[JCWeb]

WW Title Bouts

WBA: Henry Armstrong began the year with the belt, and defended it successfully on three occasions, defeating Fritzie Zivic (KO 9), Cocoa Kid (TKO 7) and Jimmy Garrison (KO 14).

NABF: Cocoa Kid began 1940 with this belt, but he lost it to Jimmy Garrison (UD 12). Garrison then defended once, defeating Barney Ross (UD 12).

USBA: Garrison vacated this title after moving up and claiming the NABF title. Izzy Jannazzo defeated Eddie Dolan for the vacant belt (MD 12). He made two defenses, first battling to a draw with Freddie Cochrane (D 12) and then edging Cochrane in a rematch (SD 12).

CBU: Three title contests during the year. First, Jack McNamee took the title from Ernie Roderick (MD 12). Then, McNamee defended against Sammy Luftspring (TKO 11). Then, Roderick regained the belt, defeating McNamee (TKO 12).

GBU: No title defenses during the year, as Ernie Roderick retains this belt.

EBU: Gustav Eder captured the title, dethroning Bep Van Klaveren (UTD 11) and then turned aside a challenge from Ernie Roderick (SD 12).

OPBF: No title defenses, as Jack McNamee retained the title for another year.

LABF: Two title contests for this belt in 1940. First, Joe Legon defended versus Battling Shaw (UD 12), but then Cocoa Kid defeated Legon (UD 12) to capture the title. .

WW Division Profile

Total: 128 RL: 86 TC: 42

RL by Career Stage:
End - 8
Post - 16
Prime - 31
Pre - 17
Beginning - 14 (7 New)

Rated: 60
800+: 20
500+: 39
200+ : 56

Jan 1941 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1940 in Parens):

Champ: Henry Armstrong 34-4-3 (28) (1861) (NC)
1. Izzy Jannazzo 31-4-3 (13) (1406) (+2) (USBA)
2. Jimmy Garrison 26-4-3 (2) (1386) (+6) (NABF)
3. Cocoa Kid 37-7-4 (11) (1369) (-2) (LABF)
4. Eddie Dolan 33-8-4 (14) (1278) (-2)
5. Ruby Goldstein 45-14-5 (30) (1233) (-1)
6. Fritzie Zivic 27-9-4 (15) (1132) (+4)
7. Jimmy Leto 41-20-7 (12) (1131) (+11)
8. Ernie Roderick 24-11-3 (7) (1103) (-2) (CBU, GBU)
9. Jack McNamee 27-8 (17) (1102) (+4) (OPBF)
10. Gustav Eder 35-9-10 (9) (1093) (+1) (EBU)

Comments: All those listed at Prime except for Goldstein (at End) and Leto (at Post). Armstrong continued his domination of the division, making three successful title defenses but falling short when moving up to MW and challenging then WBA Champ Freddie Steele for that title; Armstrong then returned to WW and continued his winning streak of nine straight in that division, going back to 1937. Jannazzo is now the #1 contender after only a so-so campaign, with three narrow decision wins (two by MD, one by SD) and a pair of draws with Eder and Freddie Cochrane. Garrison went 2-1, all in title contests. Kid regained the LABF title but lost two other 1940 title bouts, to Garrison and Armstrong. Dolan went 3-2 for the year, dropping in the rankings after a UD loss to Leto but bouncing back with a UD win over Joe Legon late in the year. A resurgent Goldstein retained his top five status with a stoppage of Bep Van Klaveren,despite an early season loss to Jannazzo; Goldstein managed a draw with retiring great Jimmy McLarnin in McLarnin’s farewell bout. Zivic salvaged a subpar season with a UD over Leto after dropping two in a row to Armstrong and Dolan. Leto zoomed up the rankings after taking the UD from Dolan; he went 3-1 for the year, his only loss coming at the hands of Zivic. Roderick won just one of three, all in title bouts. McNamee was 3-1 for the year, having a four-bout winning streak snapped in the CBU title loss to Roderick. Eder rounds out this year’s top 10, having regained the EBU title and battling Jannazzo to a draw despite an early season loss to Legon (via SD). Van Klaveren just missed the top 10, falling two spots to #11after a draw with Jackie Wilson and the TKO loss to Goldstein. Another top 10 dropout was Young Corbett III, down nine spots to #16, after three straight losses to Dolan (TKO), McLarnin (UD) and Wildcat O’Connor (SD). The only other top 10 dropout is all-time great Jimmy McLarnin, who retired after a final win over Corbett, a draw with Goldstein, and a pair of losses to Wilson and Barney Ross. Wilson, who remained unbeaten, ended the year at #12 with a 21-0-2 (14) record, his key 1940 bouts including UD wins over McLarnin and Steve Halaiko, in addition to the draw with Van Klaveren. Top newcomers to the rankings include two other unbeaten prospects, Vic Dellicurti, 17-0 (10), at #31, and Brit Arthur Danaher, 15-0 (10), at #34. Dellicurti took a pair of SDs over Johnny Barbara and Chuck Woods to retain his unbeaten status during 1940, while Danaher ‘s best outings versus non-TC opposition were a UD over Omar Kouidri and a MD versus Eddie Ran.

Prospects: Marty Servo kept a clean slate, improving to 14-0 (8) with impressive UD wins over Cleo Shans, Jimmy McDaniels and Leonard Del Genio in 1940. Shans, who had been perfect until the loss to Servo, checks in at 12-1 (8). Also off to good career starts are Artie Dorrell, now 11-0 (8); Norman Rubio, 9-0 (6); Tommy Ciarlo, 8-0 (1); and Aussie George Sands, 7-0 (5). Ray Robinson has impressed in all five of his 1940 outings, going 5-0 (5) as no opponent has lasted more than two rounds thus far. witz, 5-0 (3) and Jimmy Edgar, 4-0 (3) got their careers off to good starts, while Brit Vince Hawkins recovered from an inauspicious debut to go 4-1 (2) for the year, all versus TCs.

Retirements: Six retirements from the WW ranks during the year, including two former WBA Champions, most notably five-time Champ Jimmy “Baby Face” McLarnin.

Buckey Lawless (USA) 1925-40 34-23-3 (14) No Titles Highest Rank: 23
Tony Vaccarelli (USA) 1923-40 34-29-3 (15) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 13
Jack Carroll (AUS) 1923-40 39-24-6 (14) WBA Champion 1937 Highest Rank: 7
Joe Dundee (USA) 1918-40 48-26-10 (13) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 1
Baby Joe Gans (USA) 1922-40 39-29-2 (15) NABF Champ Highest Rank: 5
Jimmy McLarnin (CAN) 1923-40 54-14-2 (24) WBA Champion 1929-30, 1931-33, 1934-36, 1938, 1939

Looking Ahead: Armstrong remains the class of the field, as long as he wants to remain active in the division or at least until he hits Post-Prime. Marty Servo and Ray Robinson are two top prospects, but several years away from challenging for titles. Jackie Wilson remains unbeaten but also has yet to be seriously tested in bouts with in Prime, top contending fighters. Foreign competition in the WW ranks appears to be somewhat weaker than in other divisions, so the prime contenders for the present and future will likely be from the States. Billy Graham, another USA boxer, leads the group of newcomers slated to be added in 1941.

[JCWeb]

LW Title Bouts

WBA: After Henry Armstrong relinquished the title to focus on higher weight classes, Tony Canzoneri defeated Lou Ambers (UD 15) for the vacant belt. Later in the year, Canzoneri defeated Ambers (UD 15) in a rematch.

NABF: Lou Ambers began 1940 with this belt, and he made two successful defenses, defeating Eddie Cool (UD 12) and Al Roth (UD 12).

USBA: Lew Jenkins started the year out with this belt, and he defended successfully, versus Eddie Cool (UD 12). Then, challenger Davey Day stopped Jenkins to claim the title (TKO 8). Finally, Day made one successful defense, defeating Lefty Satan Flynn (UD 12).

CBU: Jack Kid Berg retained the title, making only one defense in 1940, when he defeated Dave Castilloux (MD 12).

GBU: Two more title defenses by Harry Mizler, who defeated George Daly (UD 12) and Eric Boon (SD 12).

EBU: Jack Kid Berg also retained this belt, turning aside a challenge from Harry Mizler (UD 12).

OPBF: Not active for this division.

LABF: No title defenses during 1940, and Pedro Montanez retains the belt for another year.

LW Division Profile

Total: 138 RL: 84 TC: 54

RL by Career Stage:
End - 9
Post - 23
Prime - 22
Pre - 19
Beginning - 11 (6 New)

Rated: 61
800+: 22
500+: 37
200+ : 59

Jan 1941 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1940 in Parens):

Champ: Tony Canzoneri 52-5-4 (17) (1901) (+1)
1. Jack Kid Berg 46-15-5 (15) (1414) (+2) (CBU, GBU)
2. Lou Ambers 33-4-1 (18) (1370) (NC) (NABF)
3. Tony Chavez 30-9-2 (12) (1267) (+3)
4. Pedro Montanez 34-9 (16) (1266) (NC) (LABF)
5. Wesley Ramey 31-10-7 (11) (1180) (+2)
6. Laurie Stevens 27-7-1 (18) (1110) (+5)
7. Al Roth 35-10-1 (12) (1086) (-2)
8. Eddie Cool 36-15-5 (12) (1070) (+6)
9. Davey Day 32-5-4 (13) (1021) (+6) (USBA)
10. Chino Alvarez 35-13-4 (22) (1016) (-2)

Others: 31. Harry Mizler 23-12-4 (6) (616) (+7) (GBU)

Comments: Berg, Stevens, Alvarez and Mizler still at Prime while everyone else listed above at Post headed into 1941. A resurgent Canzoneri won all three of his bouts in 1940. Including a UD over Montanez prior to the two title wins, extended his winning streak to four straight. Berg went 4-1 for the year, with a surprising DQ loss to Montanez ending a six-bout winning streak; a late season stoppage of Roger Bernard put Berg’s career back on track after a successful title defense versus Mizler. Ambers went 2-2 for the year, all in title bouts. Chavez suffered a TKO loss to Ramey, but won his other 1940 outings, including a UD over Montanez, a TKO of Stevens, and a SD versus Alvarez. Montanez’s only success in three bouts was the TKO over Berg; two losses to Canzoneri and Chavez prevented further progress. Ramey stopped Chavez to move up the rankings, but he has held to a draw by Italian Aldo Spoldi in his most recent outing. Stevens moved into the top 10 after winning three of four, including a recent UD over Al Roth near the end of the year. Roth won just two of five bouts during the year, and dropped in the rankings as a result. Cool was unsuccessful in his two title bids, but he recovered with wins over Alvarez (MD) and Benny Bass (UD) to maintain a top 10 spot. Day, the new USBA LW Champ, has not lost six wins, two draws) since early 1939. Alvarez rounds out the top 10 despite two losses in three 1940 bouts, the one win coming at the expense of long-time top LW contender Sammy Fuller. Top dropouts in include Cecil Payne, down four spots to #14 after a pair of TKO losses to Roth and Castilloux; and Fuller, down six to #15 after two more setbacks during the year extended his losing streak to four straight. The first career loss left “Sweetwater Swatter” Lew Jenkins in 12th spot, checking in with a 22-1-2 (11) record. Mizler won three of four during the year to move up a few spots but is still mired in the lower echelons of the division. Newcomers to this year’s rankings list include Al “Bummy” Davis, who impressed in four 1940 wins (notably a pair of UDs versus Maxie Shapiro and Eddie Zivic to end the year at 14-2-1 (9), good for 36th place; Julie Kogon, who debuts one spot lower, recovered from two early season loses with wins over Shapiro (UD) and Lenny Mancini (MD), en route to compiling a 13-3-1 (5) record; Willie Joyce, checking in at #39, now 15-2-1 (10) after taking a UD from Zivic and battling to a draw with Jimmy Tygh; and finally the original “Boom Boom,” Lenny Mancini, who ended up at 11-3-3 (6), good for #41 spot, despite a couple of nice wins over Ray Lunny (TKO) and Larry Cisneros, in addition to a draw with Davis.

Prospects: Bob Montgomery checks in at 13-0-1 (11); the only blemish being a draw with Allie Stolz, and he recorded an impressive UD win over Lulu Costantino in his most recent outing. Stolz, now 12-1-1 (8), dropped a UD to Joey Fontana in his most recent outing, having impressed with a UD over Kogon earlier in his 1940 campaign. Bobby Ruffin has feasted on TC opposition, but struggled to a draw with Kogon to end the year at 12-0-1 (6). Costantino, his only loss coming at the hands of Montgomery, ended the year at 11-1 (10). Beau Jack, who has blasted out all his TC opponents, remains perfect at 8-0 (8). Aussie Vic Patrick suffered a surprising KO loss to a TC, winding up at 5-1 (4), while Ike Williams (4-0, 4 KO) and Danny Bartfield (4-0, 3 KO) got off to much better starts.

Retirements: Six retirements from the LW ranks during the year, including Mike Ballerino, who briefly held the now defunct WBA JLW title.

Joe Guerrero (USA) 1925-40 37-31-7 (14) No Titles Highest Rank: 57
Meyer Grace (USA) 1922-40 35-29-7 (15) No Titles Highest Rank: 20
Mike Ballerino (USA) 1920-40 38-25-8 (10) JLW WBA Champion 1930-31 Highest Rank (as LW): 29
Jimmy McNamara (USA) 1926-40 27-22-10 (13) No Titles Highest Rank: 35
Ray Miller (USA) 1922-40 43-24-3 (19) NABF, USBA Champ Highest Rank: 1
Davey Abad (PAN) 1924-40 36-28-6 (7) No Titles Highest Rank: 20

Looking Ahead: Hard to predict what’s going to happen in a division where so many of the top guys are aging as is the case with the LWs headed into 1941. Berg is obviously hoping for a title shot, and he seems the most likely successor once Canzoneri is dethroned or steps down. Some talent prospects still several years away, namely Joyce, Montgomery and Beau Jack. Joe Brown is the best of the class of 1941 set to debut in the coming year.

[JCWeb]

FW Title Bouts

WBA: The title changed hands three times in four title bouts. First, Kid Chocolate regained the title, dethroning Chalky Wright (TKO 11). Mike Belloise then took the title from Chocolate (UD 15). Finally, Baby Arizmendi captured the title, defeating Belloise (UD 15) and retained it after making a title defense against Tsuneo Horiguchi (D 15).

NABF: Baby Arizmendi carried the title into 1940, making two successful defenses, versus Pete DeGrasse (SD 12) and Filio Julian Echevarria (UD 12) before vacating the belt after moving up to claim the WBA title. Then, Georgie Hansford defeated Jack Armstrong (UD 12) for the vacant belt, only to lose it to Jackie Wilson, who defeated Hansford (UD 12) and held the belt going into 1941.

USBA: Everett Rightmire began the year with this belt, but he lost it to Harold Hoshino (KO 7). Hoshino made one successful defense, versus Jimmy Perrin (UD 12). Then, Chalky Wright took the title from Hoshino (UD 12).

CBU: No title defenses during 1940; Pete DeGrasse retains this title for another year.

GBU: Two successful title defenses by Frank Parkes, who turned aside challenges from Johnny McGrory (D 12) and Ginger Foran (SD 12).

EBU: Maurice Holtzer captured this title, defeating Frank Parkes (SD 12).

OPBF: Tsuneo Horiguchi retained this belt, turning aside a challenge from Eddie Miller (UTD 9).

LABF: Relinquished by Kid Chocolate (who won the WBA title), Filio Julian Echevarria defeated Simon Chavez (SD 12) for the vacant belt.

FW Division Profile

Total: 110 RL: 67 TC: 43

RL by Career Stage:
End - 3
Post - 17
Prime - 25
Pre - 14
Beginning - 5 (3 New)

Rated: 49
800+: 13
500+: 29
200+ : 46

Jan 1941 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1940 in Parens):

Champ: Baby Arizmendi 42-9-3 (10) (1307) (+1)
1. Chalky Wright 36-11-4 (15) (1268) (-1) (USBA)
2. Filio Julian Echevarria 38-14-4 (12) (1116) (+2) (LABF)
3. Kid Chocolate 40-9-7 (17) (1116) (-1)
4. Harold Hoshino 25-1 (15) (1050) (+4)
5. Tsuneo Horiguchi 27-7-1 (15) (1040) (+10) (OPBF)
6. Petey Sarron 38-19-6 (10) (1028) (+5)
7. Battling Battalino 42-14-2 (15) (980) (-2)
8. Mike Belloise 26-11-5 (9) (970) (-1)
9. Simon Chavez 28-13-2 (6) (900) (+4)
10. Jimmy Perrin 24-7-2 (9) (876) (+7)

Others: 12. Maurice Holtzer 42-18-4 (15) (840) (-2) (EBU)
13. Frank Parkes 24-7-1 (14) (778) (-1) (GBU)
16. Pete DeGrasse 38-20-4 (10) (731) (-7) (CBU)
17. Jackie Wilson 35-16-1 (9) (685) (+15) (NABF)

Comments: Headed into 1941, Echevarria, Chocolate, Sarron, Battalino, Perrin, Holtzer and DeGrasse at Post-Prime; everyone else listed above still at Prime. Arizmendi went unbeaten (three wins, one draw) in his 1940 outings, all in title bouts, to regain the top spot. Wright recovered from the title loss with a TKO over DeGrasse, then capturing the USBA belt, and has won seven of his last eight headed into 1941. Echevarria went 3-1 for the year, finishing strongly with a pair of UD wins over Covelli and Parkes. Chocolate went 1-1 in title bouts, then recovered with a UD over Parkes after losing the title. Hoshino suffered his first career setback after winning 25 straight, going 2-1 in USBA title bouts after an early season UD win over Belloise. Horiguchi impressed with a pair of UD wins over Battalino and Chafferdet, and then battled Arizmendi to a draw in the WBA title clash. Sarron shot up the ranks by winning all four of his 1940 outings; a TKO over Covelli and a UD versus Belloise in his most recent bouts were sufficient to solidify his position among the top 10 contenders. Battalino slid down the rankings after the loss to Horiguchi; this was after a pair of early season wins (TKO over Freddie Miller and a MD versus DeGrasse) to his credit. Belloise went 1-3 for the year, capturing then losing the WBA title but also suffering a pair of UD losses to Hoshino and Sarron. Chavez won three of four to regain his top 10 status. Perrin rounded out the top 10, also winning three of four, his most recent success being a UD over DeGrasse. Top 10 dropouts from the prior year include Covelli, down five spots to #11 after going 1-3 for the year; EBU Champ Holtzer, down two to #12 after an indifferent year (one win, one loss and one draw); Freddie Miller, down 11 to #14 after going 0-3 for the year; and DeGrasse, down from #9 to #16 after losing all four of his 1940 outings. Finally, Jackie Wilson moved up 15 spots by winning all four of his 1940 bouts. Top newcomers to this year’s rankings list include Albert Mancini, whose 16-2 (8) record was good for #28 spot; Cuba’s National Kid, debuting at #34 after getting off to a 15-1 (8) start; and Richie Lemos, whose 13-2 (6) mark left him in #35 spot.

Prospects: The “Aldgate Tiger,” Brit Al Phillips, maintained his clean slate, ending the year at 14-0 (9), impressing in his most recent win over ex-GBU Champ Dave Crowley. Joey Iannotti (13-0, 11 KO) and Pedro Hernandez (12-0, 4 KO) also remained unbeaten. Diego Sosa (6-0, 5 KO) included a TKO over fellow prospect Miguel Acevedo in addition to his TC wins. Willie Pep, now 3-0 (2), got his career off to a good start.

Retirements: Four left the FW ranks during the year.

Andy Martin (USA) 1923-40 39-26-7 (9) No Titles Highest Rank: 3
Willie Smith (SAF) 1925-40 30-21-5 (60) CBU Champ Highest Rank: 19
Tommy Paul (USA) 1927-40 33-19-5 (8) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 3
Phil Zwick (USA) 1923-40 36-29-3 (19) No Titles Highest Rank: 35

Looking Ahead: Lots of volatility at and near the top of this division in recent years, although Arizmendi appears to be positioned for a long run as WBA Champion, given that all the contenders are aging or inferior in ability. Willie Pep remains the best of the young prospects, but he is several years away from making an impact. Ronnie Clayton and Phil Terranova are the best of the new additions joining the ranks in 1941.

[JCWeb]

BW Title Bouts

WBA: The title changed hands twice during the year in three title bouts. First, K. O. Morgan successfully challenged fpr the title, dethroning Panama Al Brown (SD 15). Then, Georgie Pace defeated Morgan (TKO 5) and defended once, defeating Tommy Forte (KO 5).

NABF: K. O. Morgan began the year with this belt and defended once, versus Georgie Pace (D 12). He relinquished the belt after winning the WBA title, and, in the contest for the vacant belt, Pete Sanstol defeated Sixto Escobar (UD 12). Tommy Forte took the title from Sanstol (UD 12) and made one defense, versus Lou Salica (D 12).

USBA: Georgie Pace began the year with this belt, but he lost it to Lou Salica (SD 12).

CBU: One title bout during 1940, in which Benny Sharkey captured this title from Horace Gwynne (UD 12).

GBU: Johnny King took this title from Benny Sharkey (TKO 11).

EBU: Johnny King took this title from Baltazar Sangchili (KO 9).

OPBF: Three title bouts during the year. Little Pancho defended versus Young Tommy (UD 12) and Mickey Miller (UD 12). Then, Pablo Dano captured the belt, defeating Pancho (UD 12).

LABF: Panama Al Brown captured this title, defeating Sixto Escobar (TKO 5).

BW Division Profile

Total: 86 RL: 49 TC: 37

RL by Career Stage:
End - 4
Post - 10
Prime - 23
Pre - 8
Beginning - 4 (1 New)

Rated: 39
800+: 15
500+: 30
200+ : 38

Jan 1941 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1940 in Parens):

Champ: Georgie Pace 26-8-2 (19) (1328) (+6)
1. Johnny King 51-6-1 (20) (1680) (NC) (EBU, GBU)
2. Panama Al Brown 64-11-1 (24) (1586) (-2) (LABF)
3. K. O. Morgan 32-12-6 (17) (1277) (NC)
4. Pablo Dano 38-13-5 (17) (1255) (+1) (OPBF)
5. Little Pancho 40-10-5 (9) (1254) (-1)
6. Pete Sanstol 40-14-5 (9) (1081) (+1)
7. Lou Salica 26-6-2 (10) (1033) (+8) (USBA)
8. Sixto Escobar 31-11-3 (10) (1031) (-6)
9. Tommy Forte 23-1-2 (11) (1024) (+3) (NABF)
10. Mickey Miller 27-8-2 (16) (991) (-2)

Others: 13. Benny Sharkey 35-16-2 (19) (803) (NC) (CBU)

Comments: Headed into 1941, Brown, Dano, Escobar and Sharkey are at Post-Prime; everyone else listed above still at Prime. Pace had an active year, making five appearances, four in title bouts and then taking a SD over Escobar in a non-title contest. King won all five of his 1940 outings, taking a SD nod over Sanstol and a pair of UDs versus Dano and Lew Farber in addition to the EBU and GBU title bout wins. Brown recovered from the title loss with a TKO over Joseph Decico and then took the LABF title to end up 2-1 for the year. Morgan had one win, one loss and one draw, all in title bouts. Dano suffered the UD loss at the hands of King, but added a stoppage of Star Frisco in addition to the OPBF title bout win near the end of the year. Pancho had a six-bout winning streak snapped with the loss of his title; his 1940 victims included Sangchili and Escobar (both UD wins) in addition to two successful OPBF title defenses. Sanstol went 2-2 for the year, dropping a SD to King early in the year but finishing with a MD over Henry Hook to retain his status as a top contender. Salica moved into the top 10 after a TKO over Horace Mann set him up for a successful title challenge; he ended the year with two wins and a draw. Escobar was winless in four outings during the year and slid down the rankings as a result. Forte impressed with early season wins over Frisco (UD), Raul Casanova (TKO) and Speedy Dado (SD) to move into the top 10; his first career setback came when he challenged Pace for the WBA title. Miller rounds out the top 10, recovering from the early year title loss with a pair of UD wins over Young Tommy and an aging Bushy Graham. Sharkey, who captured the CBU title, ended the year on a down note with losses to King and Raul Casanova. Dropping out of the top 10 were Speedy Dado, down six spots to #15 after a pair of SD losses to Forte and David Kui Kong Young, and, most notably, Mexican Raul Casanova, who dropped 14 spots all the way to #24 after a controversial DQ loss to Hermann Remscheid. Top newcomer to the list is Benny Goldberg, who debuts at #16; his resume included a pair of wins over fellow prospect Manuel Ortiz (one UD and one SD), a MD versus Gustave Humery, a UD over Chris Pineda, and a draw with Tom Smith, leaving him at 16-1-1 (10). Ortiz, who ended the year at 14-2 (12), debuts at #26; he recovered from the two losses to Goldberg with wins over Freddy Pope (UD) and Lorenzo Safora (TKO). Finally, Pope makes the list at #34, his unbeaten string snapped by the losses to Ortiz and Theo Medina (MD), leaving him at 13-2 (7).

Prospects: Theo Medina maintained a clean slate, and is now 14-0 (6) after a win (MD) over Pope in his most recent outing. Belgian Joe Cornelis checks in at 10-1 (6), his only loss coming at the hands of Medina. Lorenzo Safora, also 10-1 (6), was unbeaten until the TKO loss to Manuel Ortiz in his last outing. Brit Norman Lewis, 8-0 (8); Mexican Luis Castillo, 8-0 (6) have maintained clean slates, albeit versus TC opposition. Off to good starts are Gus Foran, 4-0 (4); Ernesto Aguilar, 4-0 (2); and Kenny Lindsay, 1-0 (0).

Retirements: Only two retirements from the BW ranks during 1940.

Tony Marino (USA) 1930-40 22-21 (11) USBA Champ Highest Rank: 20
Young Tommy (PHI) 1929-40 34-15-3 (14) OPBF Champ Highest Rank: 6

Looking Ahead: Pace does not seem destined for a long reign at the top, as there are higher rated contenders still active, notably King, Sanstol and Salica. Manuel Ortiz, who stumbled in a couple of his 1940 outings, still appears to be the brightest future prospect in the division. Canadian Lou Alter is the only new face slated to be added to the BW ranks during 1941.

[JCWeb]

FLY Title Bouts

WBA: The title changed hands twice during the year. Long-time Champion Midget Wolgast was finally dethroned, losing to Fortunato Ortega (MD 15). Then, Jackie Jurich defeated Ortega (TKO 5) to carry the belt into 1941.

NABF: The belt was vacated after its holder, Frankie Genaro, retired, and it remains vacant heading into 1941.

USBA: Jackie Jurich held this title headed into 1940, but he relinquished it after winning the WBA title, so this belt is vacant heading into 1941.

CBU: Two successful title defenses during 1940, both by Benny Lynch, who defeated Jimmy Warnock (UTD 10) and Rinty Monaghan (TKO 11).

GBU: Jackie Brown retained this belt, making one title defense, versus Peter Kane (D 12).

EBU: Three title bouts produced three new titleholders. First, Valentin Angelmann defeated Jackie Brown (TKO 9) to capture the belt. Then, Istvan Enekes dethroned Angelmann (UD 12). Finally, Peter Kane took the title from Enekes (KO 5).

OPBF: Small Montana began the year with this belt, and he made one defense, versus Yoichiro Hanada (D 12). Then, Little Dado captured the belt, defeating Montana (UD 12).

LABF: Not yet active in this division..

FLY Division Profile

Total: 61 RL: 35 TC: 26

RL by Career Stage:
End - 4
Post - 4
Prime - 19
Pre - 5
Beginning - 3 (2 New)

Rated: 29
800+: 9
500+: 16
200+ : 23

Jan 1941 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1940 in Parens):

Champ: Jackie Jurich 19-3-1 (15) (923) (+14)
1. Midget Wolgast 51-7-1 (18) (1022) (-1)
2. Jackie Brown 38-15-5 (12) (941) (-1) (GBU)
3. Little Dado 23-1 (13) (940) (NC) (OPBF)
4. Fortunatgo Ortega 26-10-4 (13) (922) (+8)
5. Peter Kane 22-2-1 (11) (904) (+2) (EBU)
6. Istvan Enekes 35-10-1 (10) (903) (+3)
7. Valentin Angelmann 37-19-1 (13) (895) (-2)
8. Benny Lynch 33-10 (17) (861) (-6) (CBU)
9. Joe Curran 25-11-2 (10) (624) (+12)
10. Jimmy Gill 27-8-3 (10) (623) (-4)

Others: 13. Benny Sharkey 35-16-2 (19) (803) (NC) (CBU)

Comments: Headed into 1941, Wolgast and Brown are at Post-Prime, Lynch is at End, and everyone else listed above is still at Prime. Jurich became the surprising new Champion, attaining the title after just one tune-up bout in 1940, a TKO win over Jimmy Gill. Wolgast, the long-time WBA Champ, had his reign come to an end and then dropped a UD to Enekes before bouncing back with a convincing UD win over another aging fighter, Benny Lynch. Brown recovered from a EBU title bout loss with a UD win over previously un beaten Little Dado. Dado had impressed with early season stoppages of Lynch and Genaro, plus the addition of the OPBF title, but then his rise was halted, at least momentarily, by the recent loss to Brown. Ortega recorded an early season TKO over Eugene Huat before the two WBA title contests put him back in the upper echelon of the division. Kane has fashioned a five-bout unbeaten streak (four wins, one draw), including a UD over Ernest Weiss followed by the recent capture of the EBU title belt. Enekes Impressed with a UD over his old nemesis, Wolgast, and then won and lost the EBU title. Angelmann had an active year, winning three of four outings, going 1-1 in EBU title bouts bookended by a pair of UD wins over Montana and Huat. Lynch had a disappointing year, winning two title defenses against weaker opposition, but then faltering against top rated guys, dropping at TKO to Dado and a UD to Wolgast. Curran has steadily moved up the ranks, winning his last five (including all four of his 1940 encounters), including impressive wins over Emile Pladner (via TKO) and a KO of Jimmy Gill. Gill dropped down to the #10 spot after only managing two wins in four bouts during the year. Top 10 dropouts from last year include #4 Frankie Genaro (retired while still holding the NABF belt); Ernst Weiss (down a spot to #11 after a four-bout losing streak, including 1940 UD losses to Dado and Kane); and Eugene Huat (down from #8 to #15 after going 1-3 for the year). Top newcomer to the list is German Hans Schiffers, who debuts at #16 , recovering from early season setbacks to Kid David (UD) and Young Perez (SD) with impressive wins over Gavino Motta (TKO) and most recent, former top contender Ruby Bradley (UD); his career totals thus far are 13-3-1 (7). Matta’s name also appears in the rankings, but much further down at #26 as he is off to a 11-5-1 (6) career start, with 1940 losses to Bradley, Mickey McGuire, Enrico Urbinati as well as Schiffers indicative of his struggles when stepping outside the safe boundary of TC opposition.

Prospects: A couple of top British prospects remain unbeaten after battling to a draw in their only meeting: Jackie Paterson, 11-0-1 (11) and Teddy Gardner, 11-0-1 (10) both managed to compile impressive KO records in their other bouts, albeit versus TC opposition. Algeria’s Mustapha Mustaphaoui remans unbeaten, checking in at 6-0 (1).

Retirements: Two retirements during 1940, including four-time WBA Champ Genaro.

Frankie Genaro (USA) 1920-40 52-22-6 (19) WBA Champion 1925, 1926-27, 1928-29, 1929-30
Emile Pladner (FRA) 1926-40 33-25-2 (12) EBU Champ Highest Rank: 5

Looking Ahead: The division has been thrown into a state of flux with the end of Wolgast’s lengthy reign at the top. Little Dado, the man expected to be his successor, did manage to capture the OPBF belt but has yet to convince against the very top guys in the division; Wolgast, despite the effects of aging, still remains a threat to regain the belt. Interesting is the lack of new contenders emerging from the US; hence, the NABF and USBA belts may remain vacant for a time. Dado Marino is the best of the two newcomers set to join the FLY ranks during 1941.

[JCWeb]

Wrapping things up with the year-end awards and the Pound-for-Pound Rankings ...

1940 POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS (Perf Pts listed, with Changes from Prior Year and Number of Years on List in Parens)

1. Tony Canzoneri, WBA LW Champion, 1901 (+3) (9)
2. Joe Louis, WBA HW Champion, 1870 (+1) (5)
3. Henry Armstrong, WBA WW Champion, 1861 (-2) (2)
4. Max Schmeling, EBU HW Champion, 1702 (+3) (8)
5. Johnny King, EBU and GBU BW Champion, 1680 (+4) (7)
6. Panama Al Brown, LABF BW Champion, 1586 (-4) (6)
7. Tony Zale, WBA MW Champion, 1580 (new) (1)
8. Maxie Rosenbloom, LH, 1538 (new) (5)
9. Jersey Joe Walcott, NABF HW Champion, 1490 (new) (1)
10. Holman Williams, USBA MW Champion, 1487 (new) (1)

Dropped out from last year:

Freddie Steele (was #5); Midget Wolgast (was #6); Cocoa Kid (was #8); and Eddie Dolan (was #10)

Comments: Canzoneri returns to top the list after a year's absence; he topped the year-end PFP list in 1936, 1937 and 1938. Brown is the senior member of the group; his first appearance on the PFP list dates back to 1928. Rosenbloom returns to the list after a one-year absence.

YEAR-END AWARDS:

Fighter of the Year: Tony Canzoneri

Comments: A close contest, with arguments to be made on behalf of the other guys near the top of the PFP list, both Louis and Armstrong. In the end, Canzoneri fought higher rated challengers, while many of Louis' foes (all of whom were subdued in short order) were, in essence, "bums." Armstrong's loss to Steele when moving up to MW hurt his chances. It is Canzoneri's second time being named Fighter of the Year, having won the award back in 1937.

Fight of the Year: Baby Arizmendi D 15 Tsuneo Horiguchi (Nov. 9, WBA FW title)

Comments: A tough call, as there were really no outstanding candidates as has been the case in years past. Gus Lesnevich's SD win over Eddie Booker for the WBA LH title, as well as Tony Zale's recent UD win over Teddy Yarosz to capture the WBA MW belt, were strong candidates.

Upset of the Year: Fortunato Ortega MD 15 Midget Wolgast (Apr. 20, WBA Fly title)

Comment: Ortega's surprise win, ending Wolgast's long reign as Champion, has to standout as the biggest upset win of the year.

Newcomer of the Year: LH Freddie Mills

Comments: Again, a close one to call. A case could be made for Jackie Jurich, the new Fly Champion, as well as MW Charley Burley, who impressed in just two 1940 outings. However, Mills had the edge in terms of a dynamic rise to the top 10 in his division by capturing the GBU LH belt and two impressive wins, defeating a former WBA Champ as well as the iconic veteran, Len Harvey.