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Jan 1916 Division Profile

Total: 155 RL: 81 TC: 74

RL by Career Stage:
End - 3
Post- 16
Prime-40
Pre - 17
Beginning - 5 (3 New)

Rated: 62
800+: 8
500+: 19
200+: 51

Jan 1916 Rankings (Perf Pts and Changes from Jan 1915 in Parens):

Champ: Sam McVey 42-10-2 (27) (1403) (+2)
1. Sam Langford 51-7-1 (39) (1338) (NC)
2. Jack Johnson 70-9-6 (51) (1240) (+2)
3. Joe Jeannette 42-6 (29) (1175) (-3)
4. Tommy Burns 44-11-4 (31) (1166) (-1)
5. Harry Wills 22-2 (19) (1125) (+3)
6. Colin Bell 20-8-3 (10) (1057) (+3)
7. Jeff Clarke 25-7-2 (20) (829) (NC)
8. Bartley Madden 20-1-2 (11) (782) (+4)
9. Frank Moran 26-10-1 (16) (778) (-3)
10. Jess Willard 20-2 (14) (751) (+1)

Comments: All the top guys are at Prime, except for Johnson, who is at Post. McVey emerged as the new Champ, sweeping aside Jeannette for the title and winning two defenses. Langford lost the CBU title to Bell, but then won four in a row, including a rematch with Bell (UD 10 win), and KOs over Charley Miller, Willard, and finally, on the last day of the year, a one-round TKO of Harry Wills in a great inter-generational matchup. Johnson managed to move up two spots to prove that, despite the advancing age (38 in 1916), the skill level remains high. Jeannette lost the WBA belt, scored an impressive TKO 5 over EBU champ Otto Flint, but was disappointing in the USBA title loss to Wills -- he has just one more year before he hits Post-Prime due to advancing age; he will turn 37 in 1916. Burns continued a roller-coaster career, losing the NABF title but defeating Bell to regain the CBU belt. He scored a draw with Bartley Madden but has been inactive since August. Willd won the USBA belt and appeared on the verge of a WBA title shot until the setback losing in dramatic fashion to Langford. Bell moved up with that surprise win over Langford but lost to Burns next time out. Clarke was unable to take advantage of the title opportunity presented him; he continues to dominate second-rate opposition (witness TKO wins over Miller and Rodel) and so remains in the Top 10 for now. Madden had three wins and a draw (with Burns) to ascend to the top group for the first time; he is eagerly seeking a rematch for the EBU belt with Flint, with whom he drew in 1914. Moran appears back on track after losing two straight to Wills and Willard, with KOs over Savage and Miller -- there is still time left for him to prove himself agains top-flight opposition. Willard scored a SD10 over Miske and a UD10 over Moran to build a three-bout win streak that was snapped in a TKO 6 loss to Langford, which has prevented him from moving further up the rankings.

Other Notables: Gunboat Smith was nosed out of the top 10, falling one spot to #11, faltering with a UD 10 loss to Madden but scoring a KO 4 over Kaufmann and a UD over McMahon to remain in the hunt. Charley Miller tumbled out of the top 10 with an 0-3 year, as losses to Clarke, Langford and Moran dropped him nine spots all the way down to #14. Debuting at #12 is Fred Fulton, who has racked up 15 straight, 10 by KO in a brilliant start to his career. He looked most impressive in a KO 7 of previously unbeaten fellow prospect Bill Brennan, which he followed up with KOs of George "One Round" Davis, Al Reich and Dan Daily. Billy Miske debuts at #13, despite the SD loss to Willard and being held to a draw by Fireman Jim Flynn; his career mark stands at 17-1-1 (11). EBU Champ Flint checks in at #15 with a 19-3-2 (16) record and 663 pp. He defended the EBU title twice but the KO loss to Jeannette once again raises questions about his ability to hold his own against the top echelon of HW fighters. New British champ Bombadier Billy Wells is only rated #39 (!) after his win over Hague; his career mark of 16-7-2 (10), worth only 289 pp, means British HWs are getting no respect in the rankings. Bill Brennan, who debuts at #16, had won his first 14 in a row before the losses to Miske (UD) and Fulton (by KO 7) have put his career at the proverbial crossroads. Carl Morris stands at #18, registering KO wins over Palzer, Geyer and John L. Johnson to go with the setback to Wills in the US title bout. Sailor Willie Meehan is on an impressive run of six wins in a row to climb into the #20 spot, sporting a 19-10-2 (2) record. Luther McCarty climbed back to #21 with a UD 10 win over Arthur Pelkey, the man who ended his career and his life in a RL ring battle. Charlie Penwill of the UK debuts at #21 (higher than the current GBU champ), with a 14-1 (9) mark but he has not yet been severely tested (one loss to Swede Ragnar Holmberg). On the downside, John Lester Johnson has now lost five in a row after starting 15-0 to fall all the way to #34. Al Palzer, loser of his last six, slid all the way to #44 from what was an undefeated mark of 15-0-2 a couple of years back.

Prospects: Jack Dempsey's exploits have been well-chronicled here, but another HW prospect also with an unbeaten streak is Kiwi Albert Pooley, who checks in at 13-0 (10), but only one of his victims ("Bandman" Dick Rice) is a named, non-TC fighter. Homer Smith is 10-0-1 (5) after taking a split duke from Soldier Kearns and posting a win over the only fighter to hold him to a draw, Chet McIntyre (Dempsey's most recent victim). Ireland's Bob Devere is still unbeaten, going 10-0 (8), and in one of those bouts he handed British prospect Frank Goddard his only loss; Goddard's mark now stands at 10-2 (8). Jack Thompson, who lost to Dempsey as well as Brennan and Fulton, has a 9-3-1 (6) career mark. Winning all their bouts so far by knockout were newcomers Agile Andre Anderson (4-0) and Bud Gorman (2-0).

Retirements: None, surprisingly. However, several fighters are reaching the end of their careers, so look for a few to hang 'em up in 1916.

Looking Ahead: McVey will probably be forced into a 1916 title defense against a top contender (unlike the last two defenses), and it will be interesting to see how long he can keep the crown against the elite of the division. Wills' career has been stalled momentarily, but Langford and Jack Johnson have been resilient. Look for Madden to seek out a EBU title rematch with Flint, and for Willard, Fulton or Moran to try to take down a lesser (NABF or USBA) belt. Only three newcomers to the division; they will be another German, Paul Samson-Korner, Aussie George Cook, and American Fat LaRue. Also, look for Jack Dempsey's march to greatness to continue as he gets to bout #15 and a spot in the top 20 (perhaps even the top 10) in the rankings.

FINALLY, A NEW FEATURE!

Bold Prediction(s) for 1916: I will try to make at least one of these for each division per year, and check back later to see if it came true. For the HWs, I predict Jack Johnson will regain the WBA title belt in 1916 despite his advancing age. Lesser predictions: Dempsey will start to take on some rated guys and will move into the Top 20 even if the KO streak is snapped. Fulton will find it difficult once he starts facing top 10 opponents -- so I guess that means he will lose at least once next year. Expect Wells to lose the GBU belt to one of the younger guys, either Penwill or Joe Beckett. And Flint will lose the EBU belt to Madden, should he face him again.