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JCWeb · 05-27-2006, 01:32 PM

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

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

WBA Title Fights

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

05-27-2006, 01:32 PM	#65 (permalink)
JCWeb All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 671	1910-Light Heavyweights Thanks, Romy. I believe Johnson may have been at a lower conditioning level for the Langford fight which may have contributed to his poor (based on his rating level) performance. It will be interesting to see if it's he or Jeannette who gets the first crack at Langford in 1911. Now, on to the Light Heavyweights where the major storyline in 1910 was the return to the division of Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, a three-time WBA champ at Light Heavyweight (in addition to holding the HW crown for about a year). WBA Title Fights George Gardner CH (43-10-2) vs Leo Houck #1 (24-5-3) Houck is given a real shot at capturing the WBA crown here, as he is going against an aging champion in Gardner. Their only prior meeting in 1908 was a 10-round draw, back when Gardner was still in his Prime and Houck was much younger and less experienced. Houck moves on top in round 3, staggering the champ with a good straight right hand. Gardner responded by trying to outmuscle the challenger on the inside. Round 7 saw matters get worse for the Champ as he was cut on the forehead. The wiry Houck extended his points advantage by working well on the outside and the inside. The cut was reopened in the 9th and in the 10th it was all Gardner could do to cover up and hang on versus Houck's barrage. It looked like the title belt was about to change hands when Houck was called for a flagrant low blow at the start of round 14 which resulted in his disqualification. A quick check of the cards showed Houck was well ahead on all three. Gardner by WDQ 14. Rematch: G Gardner CH (44-10-2) vs Houck #1 (24-6-3) After the dissatisfying ending to the prior bout, Houck was granted an immediate rematch three months later. This time both men were content to trade blows from long range for the first few rounds, then Gardner moved inside, scoring with a big uppercut in round 5 that stuns Houck. Round 7 saw both men working inside with Houck gradually gaining the upper hand. Gardner then runs out of gas in the later rounds, mirroring the previous bout in which Houck carried the points lead to later rounds. This time there is no foul and no comeback by Gardner. Houck wins Title by UD 15 (145-139, 145-139, 144-140). Leo Houck CH (25-6-3) vs Phila Jack O'Brien #1 (48-5-3) One tune-up win and O'Brien is installed as the #1 contender and strong favorite to regain the LH crown for the fourth time. O'Brien won both prior meetings, but that was before Houck reached the Prime career stage. Both keep their distance early, probing for openings but neither can build a lead. In Round 4, Houck moves inside and O'Brien defends well, but sustains some swelling around his right eye. Houck gets more aggressive in the middle rounds, but O'Brien is content to pile up a points lead by staying on the outside. Round 11 sees the Champ mount a bit of a comeback by targeting O'Brien's right eye to take the round against the ultra-defensive O'Brien. Houck tries hard in the later rounds, but O'Brien thwarts his every effort and wins the title. O'Brien by MD 15 (144-142, 143-143, 145-141) Phila Jack O'Brien CH (49-5-3) vs Fred Cooley #5 (22-9-1) Cooley, a "1" rated boxer, gets a WBA title shot as the newly-crowned USBA champion (see below). This is the first meeting of the two, and it turns out to be as predicted, a one-sided blowout win for O'Brien. Cooley develops swelling after just three rounds and the bout is mercifully halted in the 6th. There were no KDs, however, as Cooley at least managed to stay on his feet the whole time. O'Brien by TKO 6. NABF: Title was vacated by Houck once he secured the WBA belt from Gardner and Jack "Twin" Sullivan and TC Hank Newhart faced off in October for the vacant crown. Newhart had his moments early in the bout (particularly round 4 when he stunned Sullivan with a short hook) but in the end it was a dominant UD 12 win for Sullivan. USBA: Three bouts in 1910 resulted in three different new champs as the belt got passed around a bit. First Jack "Twin" Sullivan defended against Charlie Haghey in their 7th (!) career meeting, and despite a 5-1 career edge for Sullivan, it was time for Haghey to shine as he decked the Twin with a big hook in the 7th and again in the 8th en route to a TKO 10 to take the title. Then Haghey was forced to defend versus John Wille, a fighter with a career 2-0-1 mark versus Haghey. Wille dominated from the start in a good action fight where the two sluggers really mixed it up. Bout ended with a KO 7 result for Wille. Wille then defended against lightly regarded Fred Cooley, who earned his first title shot despite a loss to Jack Dillon earlier in the year. Wille had Cooley down in the second, and stunned him early in the 7th. However, he could not finish the game challenger who then came back to win with a shock knockout blow in the 11th. Cooley by KO 11. CBU: TC Chuck Carrick defended once, visiting Canada to defeat hometown favorite and fellow TC Paul Healey via UD 12. Carrick did not defend his GBU belt in 1910, due to lack of suitable contenders. EBU: After remaining dormant for two years, Irishman George Gardner (having lost his WBA Title earlier in the year) returned to best Carrick winning by a TKO 9 (stoppage on cuts). Jan 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and change from prior year in parens) Champ Phila Jack O'Brien 50-5-3 (27) (1175) (was #2 in HW) 1. Leo Houck 26-7-3 (10) (895) (NC) 2. George Gardner 46-11-2 (30) (889) (down 2) 3. Jack Sullivan 33-16 (16) (683) (NC) 4. Charlie Haghey 29-17-3 (23) (599) (NC) 5. John Wille 31-9-3 (19) (493) (NC) 6. Fred Cooley 22-10-1 (16) (466) (up 1) 7. Chuck Carrick 25-19-1 (6) (465) (down 2) 8. Jack Dillon 13-1-1 (11) (new) (442) (new) 9. Hank Newhart 10-8 (2) (100) (NC) 10. *Lee Harmon 21-23 (6) (87) (down 2) Comments: O'Brien, who is now riding a four-match win streak, is back on top in the LH division and has one more good year before reaching his retirement year in 1912. Houck had an up and down year, while Gardner lost his title and is in decline (Post-Prime career stage). Cooley -- the big surprise of 1910 by rising to #5 after his upset US title win -- also hits Post-Prime in 1911, as that was his final year IRL. Best bet to succeed O'Brien as champ is Jack "The Giant Killer" Dillon, who is still at Pre-Prime and, despite wins over Cooley and McAllister, had his surge to the top derailed when he could only manage a draw with Haghey. Carrick still remains a force and is the top-rated TC in this still relatively thin division as far as real-life talent is concerned. Dropping out of the Top Ten in 1910 were #6 Jack Root (retired) and TC Clifford Marvine, who went 0-2 on the year and dropped from #10 to #12 (the worst of the rated boxers). Prospects: Fortunately, the newer talent in the division looks quite promising. Frenchman Georges Carpentier is perfect in his 11 bouts thus far (all versus TCs, of course) registering 11 wins and 11 KOs. He looks to be at least a future contender for the EBU crown (in real life he was European title holder in four of the classic eight weight classes, from WW up through HW). Aussie Dave Smith is similarly perfect with a 9-0 (9) mark, and he could be a future CBU title holder down the road. American boxers are also making a mark. Real-life future champ Battling Levinsky is 8-0 (3), whereas Bob McAllister at 9-1 (6) has only lost to Dillon and Howard Morrow at 10-1 (7) has only lost to McAllister. Looking Ahead: Expect to see O'Brien hold off the contenders for another year or two until he reaches Post-Prime. Sullivan is probably in line for a title shot soon, and Dillon needs to move up and at least claim a lesser title before challenging for the World belt. Carpentier, though still very young, may soon be ready to contend for the EBU title as the top-level talent is still very thin in this division. Help will be on the way in 1911, however, as five boxers make a debut, led by Tommy Gibbons, and including Bob "KO" Sweeney and a Brit, Harry Reeve, who might be in a position to end the TC dominance of the GBU title picture. Division Profile: 47 total boxers, 18 real-life and 27 TCs RL by Career Stage: End-0 Post-2 (Gardner and Cooley) Prime-5 (all these guys are in the Top 10) Pre-6 (includes Dillon who is Top 10) Beginner-5 (all 5 newcomers in 1911) Rated: only 13 800+: 3 500+: 5 200+: 9 Retirement: Jack Root (USA) 1897-1910 34-17-1 (25) WBA Champ (briefly in 1905)