Things got so raucous on opening night of The Roaring Twenties Heavyweight Extravaganza at the First Regiment Armory in Newark, N.J., got so raucous that concerned city leaders felt they had no choice but to take action.
The well-being of the cigar-smoking masses thus preserved, Newark officials allowed the tournament to continue, with a second four-card bout matching eight of the decade's top 64 heavyweights in first-round, single-elimination action.
(Note: In the interest of keeping things moving along in a more timely fashion, the rather windy previews of the first night's action will be truncated into USA Today-style capsules, with briefer fight summaries, at least for the early rounds.)
Jack Gross (No. 26 seed) vs. Jack DeMave (39)
Jack Gross
47-8-1, 31 KO
Notable fights: W10 Young Bob Fitzsimmons; W10 Jack Roper (twice); KO1 Sully Montgomery; L10 Tommy Loughran (three times); TKOby5 W10 George Godfrey; KOby4 TKOby7 Primo Carnera.
A southpaw, started career 29-0-1 before first loss to Loughran in 1928.
Jack Demave
36-29-7, 13 KO
Notable fights: WbyDQ9 Sully Montgomery; KO2 Tony Stabenau; W10 Arthur DeKuh, W10 Young Bob Fitzsimmons; D10 Johnny Risko; L8, KOby1 Young Stribling, KOby2 Otto von Porat, L10; W10 Ray Neuman, L10 Jim Maloney (three times).
The fights with Neuman must have been very entertaining, since they all took place within a three-month span in the summer of 1928, all at Braves Field.
Bearcat Wright (17) vs. Bob Lawson (48)
Bearcat Wright
65-18-18, 39 Kos
Notable fights: KO5 Fred Fulton; KO4 Porky Dan Flynn; L10, KOby9, D12, TKOby5, KO9 Sam Langford; won four of five against Tut Jackson, three by KO; KOby4 Primo Carnera; D10 George Godfrey; KO5 Jack Johnson; L10 Mickey Walker; L6 Max Baer.
Avoided by white contenders, fought lengthy series against fellow black exiles like Bill Hartwell, Bob Lawson, Tut Jackson. Also fought Sam Langford in five of his first nine recorded fights, winning only the last (KO9) in 1922. Stopped a 50-year-old Johnson in 1928.
Bob Lawson
Fighting Bob
36-26-3, 18 Kos
Notable fights: Lost two of three to Bearcat Wright, all three going the distance; KO7 Jack Johnson; ND10 Johnny Risko; KOby6, TKOby10, L8 Tiger Flowers.
Eight-round decision loss to future middleweight champion Flowers came in his pro debut.
Jack Sharkey (9) vs. Vittorio Campolo (56)
Jack Sharkey
The Boston Gob
38-14-3, 13 KO
Heavyweight champion 1932-33
Notable fights: LbyDQ4, W15 Max Schmeling; W15, KOby6 Primo Carnera; WbyDQ13 Harry Wills; TKO3 Jack Delaney; W10 Young Stribling; KOby7 Jack Dempsey; KOby3 Joe Louis.
Made name in losing effort against Dempsey, in which he unsuccessfully claimed a foul just before knockout punch.
Vittorio Campolo
El Gigante de Quilmes
21-8-1, 17 KO
Notable fights: W byDQ3 Arthur de Kuh; TKO9 Tom Heeney; D10, L10 Phil Scott; W12 Arturo Godoy; KOby9 Monte Munn; KOby2, L12 Primo Carnera.
Best known for his 6-foot-9 height, Argentinian nearly retired after suffering a concussion in loss to Munn, but recovered to fight most of the top contenders of the late ‘20s and early ‘30s.
Gene Tunney (2) vs. Bud Gorman (63)
Gene Tunney
The Fighting Marine
Heavyweight champion 1926-28
80-1-3, 48 Kos
Notable fights: W10 Jack Dempsey (twice); L15, W15, W15, D10, W10 Harry Greb; KO11 Tom Heeney; KO12 Tommy Gibbons; W10 Johnny Risko; W10 Jimmy Delaney.
Avenged only loss, to Greb for the American Light Heavyweight title, three times (plus a newspaper-decision draw); only heavyweight champion besides Marciano to retire without ever losing within the division.
Bud Gorman
48-18-11, 13 KO
Notable fights: W10, LbyDQ1; Jack Sharkey; W10, W6 Jack Demave; D10, W10 Eddie McGoorty; KO2 Bob Lawson; LbyDQ3 Tom Heeney; W10 Sully Montgomery; KOby2 Jack Delaney; W10 Tony Galento; KOby2 Primo Carnera.
Was involved in seven disqualifications, winning four.