First-round action resumes with a second night of boxing at Dreamland Rink in San Francisco ...
SATURDAY
Tom Heeney (24) vs. Erminio Spalla (41)
Tom Heeney
The Hard Rock From Down Under
37-23-8, 15 KO
Notable fights: TKOby11 Gene Tunney; W15 Jack Delaney; W10, L10 Johnny Risko; KO1, L10 Jim Maloney; D12 Jack Sharkey; W10 Jack Demave; WbyDQ3 Bud Gorman; L20 Phil Scott; L10, D15 Paolino Uzcudun; KOby3, L10 Max Baer; TKOby10 Tuffy Griffiths; L10 Otto Von Porat.
Tough New Zealander whose career went into a tailspin starting with his title challenge of Tunney, going 5-15-3 from that point. Plenty of more deserving fighters in this tourney never got a shot at a championship, but Heeney earned his by going unbeaten in seven straight in 1927-28, including draws against Sharkey and Uzcudun.
Erminio Spalla
Occiovivo
39-11-4, 28 KO
Notable fights: W12 Martin Burke; TKOby7 Gene Tunney; TKOby14, L12 Luis Angel Firpo; Piet van der Veer W20; D20 Jack Humbeek; L15 Paolino Uzcudun; KOby7 Victorio Campolo.
The first Italian to win the European heavyweight crown, Spalla spent most of his career on the continent and in South America. His biggest American bout was in 1924 against Tunney, who was then campaigning for a shot at Jack Dempsey. “Spalla, wielding split lips as well as a claret from the nose, turned the bout into an ugly brawl in the seventh when the frustrated Italian wrestled Tunney to the canvas,” Nat Fleischer wrote in his Tunney bio. “ Immediately after the tumble, the referee awarded Tunney the inevitable victory, not by disqualification as Spalla's cornermen believed at first, but on a technical knockout.”
Sam Langford (20) vs. Frankie Campbell (45)
Sam Langford
The Boston Terror
203-46-52, 129 KO
Notable fights: Far too many to list.
Fought the best in whatever weight class he was at, from welterweight to heavyweight (except for any sitting heavyweight king), over a 24-year career. By the 1920s, the 5-foot-7 virtuoso was past his peak and losing his eyesight, but still had enough to earn wins over Bearcat Wright, Tut Jackson, Bill Tate, Brad Simmons, George Godfrey and Fireman Jim Flynn, while losing a decision to Harry Wills.
Frankie Campbell
33-4-2, 26 KO
Notable fights: KO2 Natie Brown; KO7 Tony Stabenau; KO4 Les Kennedy; TKOby5 Max Baer.
The brother of Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman Dolf Camilli, Campbell was one of the top prospects on the West Coast until his fatal meeting with Baer. The Web site maxbaer.org gives Campbell a lengthy tribute that’s well worth a read (
Welcome to MaxBaer.org - Frankie Campbell !!).
George Godfrey (11) vs. Jack Dorval (54)
George Godfrey
The Black Shadow of Lieperville
99-20-2, 81 KO
Notable fights: D10, KOby2, KOby1 Sam Langford; KOby11, L10, W10 Jack Renault; KO7 Bill Tate; KO5 Tut Jackson; W10, W12 Martin Burke; WbyDQ7 Sully Montgomery; L10 Jack Sharkey; W6 Bob Lawson; TKO5 Jack Roper; KO1 Jim Maloney; Larry Gains TKO6; TKO4 Monte Munn; W10 Paolino Uzcudun; L10 Johnny Risko; TKO3 Bud Gorman; KO2 Bill Hartwell; DQby5 Primo Carnera; NC10, D10, NC10 Bearcat Wright.
Huge (6-foot-3, 240+pounds), particularly for his time, Godfrey certainly would have gotten a title shot in almost any era. Fought almost every top contender of the 1920s, beating most. All three fights against Langford took place within his first nine as a pro. Disqualification against Carnera is often cited as evidence of the latter’s unsavory connections, as fight film (
available on youtube) shows Godfrey getting the better of the action before the Ambling Alp collapses after a body blow. To be fair, it wasn’t the first time Godfrey had been disqualified and the final punch lands with Carnera’s back to the camera, obscuring the view. It is telling, however, that Godfrey never got a rematch.
Jack Dorval
Napoleon Jack Dorval, The Pennsylvania Timberwolf
22-7-4, 15 KO
Notable fights: TKO2 Knute Hansen; W10 Tony Galento; W10 Babe Hunt; W10 Otto von Porat; W10 Arthur de Kuh; L10 Ernie Schaaf.
Greatest accomplishment was making the cover of the July 1928 edition of The Ring, following his win over von Porat. Died in a plane crash in 1936.
Tommy Gibbons (3) vs. Emilio Solomon (62)
Tommy Gibbons
96-5-4, 48 KO
Notable fights: D10, L by DQ10; W10 Billy Miske; W10 Georges Carpentier; L15 Jack Dempsey; KOby12 Gene Tunney; W10, W10, L10, L15 Harry Greb; W10 Bartley Madden; TKO1 Willie Meehan; W10 Bob Roper.
Did his best work at light-heavyweight, including very tight series with Greb, but was also one of the top heavies of the ‘20s. Gave Dempsey trouble and provided a blueprint for Tunney’s win three years later. Also fought well against Tunney before fading late and getting stopped in the final bout of his career, with the win launching Tunney to his shot at Dempsey.
Emilio Solomon
King Solomon
22-32-4, 9 KO
Notable fights: W8, W12, D10 Quintin Romero Rojas; L10, L10 Jack Sharkey; L10, LbyDQ4, L10 Jim Maloney; TKOby9 Paul Berlenbach; D10, TKO5 Ray Neuman; L10 Johnny Risko; L10 Larry Gains; L10 Otto von Porat; L10 Bearcat Wright; L12 Con O’Kelly.
Giving a respectable account of himself in defeat, along with a cool nickname, seem to have been Solomon’s selling points. Somehow earned the No. 12 spot in The Ring’s 1925 rankings, despite going 5-7 that year, closing out with three losses to Maloney, one to Sharkey and one to Berlenbach, sandwiched around a decision over Rojas.