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1916 LH Title Bouts

WBA

Tommy Gibbons CH (19-2-1) vs Bob McAllister #2 (26-5-1)

Second meeting of the two, and Gibbons is seeking revenge for a TKO loss to McAllister for the USBA belt in 1914. Gibbons has won five straight since that bout, and McAllister has won his last two (versus O'Brien and Levinsky) since his last loss, to Carpentier, in 1915.

Gibbons is off to a strong start in round one. Both work hard on the inside in rounds two and three, and there is puffiness around the right eye of McAllister by the end of the third stanza. By the end of round four, McAllister's accumulated punches have caused a mouse to form under the left eye of the champ. Both retreat to the outside in an uneventful round five. Both men move forward, neither retreating an inch in the middle rounds. Near the end of the ninth, McAllister comes on strong with a big hook to the head of Gibbons. Gibbons appears to take a narrow lead into the later rounds, but McAllister comes on strong in rounds 11 and 12. Gibbons, the title at stake, starts pressuring his opponent in the last few rounds. The scorecards are read, and it's a split decision -- 144-143 Gibbons, 145-143 McAllister, and the final judge gives the nod to McAllister by 145-143. McAllister's spurt in rounds 11 and 12 appeared to make all the difference.

Bob McAllister CH (27-5-1) vs Georges Carpentier #1 (29-2-1)

The Frenchman, holder of the EBU belt, challenges for the WBA title. Despite a recent loss to Battling Levinsky, Carpentier's earlier win over McAllister in April 1915 makes him a worthy challenger.

The "Orchid Man" is sharp early, taking the bout to the champ in round one. Carpentier presses the advantage in the second but McAllister responds with a hard hook to the head. Round three, McAllister lands a cross on the inside, but the Frenchman stays away and piles up points to take the edge. More slick defense from the Frenchman in round four, but McAllister reasserts himself and the "unofficial card" has the champ by 48-47 after the first five rounds. A mouse forms around Carpentier's left eye in round six. Another close round in the 7th, where the Frenchman is the aggressor. Not much action in rounds 8 and 9. Toe-to-toe action in round 10, and Carpentier lands a hook and McAllister is staggered by a follow-up cross. (95-all at this point on the unofficial card.) Carpentier follows up in the 11th and puts McAllister on the canvas late in the round. This turns the tide in Carpentier's favor and he dominates the action in the later rounds to capture the belt. Carpentier by UD 15 (144-140, 144-141, 144-140).

Georges Carpentier CH (30-2-1) vs Harry Reeve #15 (15-7-1)

Despite a recent loss to Leo Houck, Reeve (as GBU champ) is the first defense for the Frenchman, who enters as a heavy favorite, having defeated Reeve twice by KO for the European title in 1914 and 1915.

Carpentier starts off well, pressing the attack and taking the early points advantage (49-46 after five according to the ringside expert). Reeve matches Carpentier on the inside in a strong round 6. Even worse, in round 8 the Orchid Man walks into a Reeve combination and is down for an 8-count. Fortunately for the Frenchman, Reeve starts to tire from round 9 on and can't capitalize on his success. Carpentier drops Reeve with an overhand right near the end of the 12th to cinch the victory. A game Reeve battles on and lasts the distance, despite two more trips to the canvas. Carpentier retains the title by UD 15 (146-134, 143-137, 144-136) in a bout that proved much closer than anticipated.

NABF: McAllister relinquished the title after winning the WBA belt and previously unbeaten Mike McTigue took on Bob Sweeney for the title. The bout was described previously here (see post #218), and Sweeney won the title in a terrific bout. But next up was former WBA champ Jack "The Giant Killer" Dillon, who started well, stunned Sweeney in the fourth and then knocked him down in round 7 en route to a UD 12 verdict (115-112, 116-111, 116-111).

USBA: Frank Farmer defended versus former champ Leo Houck, and Houck compiled the early points lead through the first half of the bout. Farmer rallied with a strong round 7, but Houck bounced back to open a cut above Farmer's eye that worsened, leading to a TKO 11 (cuts) win for Houck. Houck didn't keep the belt for long, as Charles Grande proved to be too aggressive and too strong for a surprising UD 12 verdict (115-113 on all three cards) to lift the belt.

CBU: Dave Smith held the belt but did not defend in 1916.

GBU: Similarly, Harry Reeve kept the belt without defending.

EBU: A title bout was necessitated when Carpentier won the WBA crown. Battling Siki, the Senegalese, had an easy time of it versus aging TC veteran Chuck Carrick, knocking out Carrick halfway through round one.